Issue 20, Vol 144, The Brunswickan

arts | maclean brings cafe to town news | unb budget woes

opinion| revolution insight

sports| think pink wrap-up

Volume 144 · Issue 20 • February 16, 2011

www.thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

Colin McPhail Editor-in-Chief The UNB Varsity Reds raised $13,013 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation during their annual Think Pink Week, an amount that more than doubled last year’s total.

This year’s augmented donation was in large part due to increased participation and engagement of the many Varsity Reds staff, coaches, student-athletes and volunteers.

“It’s a great thing that we’re doing here, especially since the hockey team is in on it,” said Stephane Fontaine of the men’s volleyball squad.

The incorporation of “Pink in the R ink” night during Wednesday’s 20th annual Mark Jeffrey Memorial Game was hit with the Reds and fans alike. The event raised over $7,000 with the focal point of the night being the stylish, hot pink jerseys donned by the Reds.

The events continued into the weekend. The men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball played a pair of matches apiece at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. The Think Pink Week sparked an electric atmosphere that brought the Reds to another level.

“I think the atmosphere for the Think Pink Weekend was awesome,” said Amanda Bakker of the women’s volleyball team. “Just being around here pumps you up so much and having a cause that you’re playing for…

Everyone is playing for someone else.”

The increased participation from the student-athletes was instrumental in the effort for breast cancer research.

“When we got involved last year, our girls really got engaged and bought in and they took that to a new level this year,” said John Richard, the women’s volleyball head coach.

“With all the other sports getting engaged, I thought it was tremendous weekend. The atmosphere we had here [Saturday night] and going into the men’s match was something special.”

Kevin Dickie, UNB’s athletic director, was also please with his athletes saying, “You’ve got to give a ton of credit to our student athletes.

Everything they did, they did it with a smile on their face.”

Besides participating in the games, the athletes were constantly collecting donations at the events. Even the men’s and women’s soccer clubs joined in, despite having completed their seasons.

A manda Sharpe, the women’s

Pink is the new Red.

basketball star, raised $930 and cut her hair to donate to Locks for Love, an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients.

Dickie was thrilled with the engagement from all participants and the community. He saw the weekend as being comprised of two, heart-

warming parts.

“There’s the tangible part and that what’s we’re able to provide to the breast cancer foundation and that

exceeded my vision. The second is the intangible part, which is doing things for the right reasons and I couldn’t be prouder.”

brunswickannews Canada Student Loans demand increased by $311 million 2 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Feds also require $149 million to write off unrecoverable loans

Emma Godmere CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief OTTAWA (CUP) — According to a recent budget update report tabled in Parliament, the federal government requires millions of dollars to keep its Canada Student Loans Program afloat.

In supplementary estimates tabled Feb. 8, the federal government outlined it needs $149.5 million to write off more than 60,000 debts for unrecoverable student loans. In addition, the government is seeking an extra $311.2 million to meet the increased demand for national loans, a need that has also been amplified by a forecasted decline in repayments.

“It’s troubling,” said Dave Molenhuis, national chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students. “It’s not entirely unanticipated, but it’s definitely concerning that we’re continuing to move in this direction of more and more money being required for a higher number of students borrowing larger dollar amounts — and of course more government write-offs of bad debts.”

These requests for additional funding for the CSLP come only months after the Conservative government extended its national student loan lending cap by $2 billion back in August, when the program was at risk of breaching its $15-billion limit.

“We knew back in the fall ... that we would, in the not-too-distant future, run up against this ceiling again,” said

Molenhuis, who noted that this is once again an ideal time for the government to consider changes to their CSLP legislation.

“We feel that not enough is being done to address this problem as evidenced by the fact that we have to make top-ups on the bad debts.”

A spokesperson from Human Resources and Skills Development explained that the 60,000 cases of bad debt only make up a small minority of borrowers — less than one per cent of the entire CSLP portfolio.

“The majority of Canada Student Loans borrowers repay their student loans on time,” read an email from the department. “Each year, only a small proportion of student loan accounts are deemed unrecoverable and are recommended for write-off.”

In terms of increased demand, the department explained that in 2009–10, the CSLP experienced a 10 per cent increase in students who borrowed over the previous year. HRSDC is also estimating there will be an additional eight per cent increase in 2010–11.

“The Canada Student Loans Program is a statutory program and provides funding to all qualifying students, regardless of the number who apply,” their email explained.

“For planning purposes, the Canada Student Loans Program spending forecasts are updated throughout the year and reported to Parliament.”

Molenhuis explained the CFS is

Though the demand for student loans from the federal government increased this year, officials say most students are paying them off. Alex Smyth / The Fulcrum continuing to keep an eye on the issue.

“In the wake of these top-ups for Canada Student Loans Program, we’ll be discussing with the political parties the urgency in the whole affair of dealing with this mounting student debt problem,” he said.

Along with requests for additional funding needed in other departments, the government is seeking an extra $1.8 billion in total in the tabled documents. Supplementary estimates are presented to update Parliament on government spending when predicted

expenditures outlined in the federal budget have changed. Additionally, Parliament must approve any new spending.

The federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year is expected to be presented next month.

on the front cover:

Top: UNB forward Lachlan MacIntosh during the Mark Jeffrey Memorial Game. Photo by Sandy Chase.

Middle: Amanda Bakker (left), Emma Hunt (middle), and Rebecca Glancy (right) get set to receive a serve. Photo by Andrew Meade.

Bottom: The women’s basketball team wore pink in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Photo by Mike Erb.

follow us on twitter. go. @Brunswickan

brunswickannews

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 3

Grim fiscal year ahead for UNB decision-makers

Colin McPhail Editor-in-Chief Frugal days lie ahead for the University of New Brunswick as 2011-12 budget projections show another significant shortfall for the university.

In preparing the university’s 201112 budget, UNB administration is forced to halt the number crunching and wait for the New Brunswick legislature to unveil its provincial budget on Mar. 22. The university will have just over a month to effectively structure their operating budget before it comes into effect May. 1.

The looming prospect of considerable cuts to the post-secondary sector is becoming all too real for Dan Murray, vice-president finance and corporate services.

“For New Brunswick public universities, about 60 per cent of their budget comes from the province,” said Murray. “In UNB’s case, $100 million dollars comes from the province of New Brunswick. So, it’s a huge component of our operating budget.”

The province is expected to offer a one-year funding model in March and potentially a four-year model in the future. However, the province has not ceded enough information to build a budget as of yet.

“This coming year we don’t have any framework,” said Murray. “We’re just trying to estimate just what that number might be.”

In the estimation process the administration has created five different scenarios to prepare for the impending provincial budget. The results are grim.

“In every realistic scenario we would run a shortfall in 2011-2012,”

said Murray. “The degree of shortfall, of course, depends on the level of funding that we would receive from the province.”

One scenario, which predicts a two per cent cut, concluded the university would suffer a shortfall of $9 million without budgetary actions. Another model that predicted a two per cent increase showed a $4 million shortfall with any cost-control adjustments.

UNB has already managed $15 million out of its operating budget over the past five years and all signs point to another inflated deficit.

Murray suggested three methods of attacking the potentially alarming situation. The first is the continual exercise of running a cost-controlled institution.

The university has already slashed its administration costs down to 8.7 per cent of their $167 million dollar operating budget. This percentage is well below the national average of 10.8 per cent.

Murray also noted the institution saved over $4 million dollars in the past five years through an energy management program and a streamlining of the IT and communications department.

While ensuring the experience shared between students and faculty is not hindered, Murray is having an increasingly difficult time transforming the university’s cost-effectiveness and is running low on options.

“We think we’ve pretty much come to the end of that. This year, if we need to find similar levels of savings, it’ll be even more difficult,” said Murray.

“We are very concerned that we’re reaching that point. If we were starting from scratch, it would be relatively

Dan Murray, vice-president of finance and corporate services, said much of next year’s budget will be decided when the provincial budget is released. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan easy. But because of the fact that we’ve worked so hard already, it makes it more difficult.”

The second remedy is finding and efficiently utilizing alternate streams of revenue.

UNB has developed a number of initiatives to help insulate itself from devastating deficit, including endowments investments that have increased 35 per cent in the last five years.

The final plan of attack is lobbying the government for reduced cuts.

Murray explained how UNB is not alone their post-secondary funding

troubles. This trend is also affecting schools in the United States and United Kingdom.

“It’s a global issue that’s facing the sector and it’s got to do with the massive deficits being run by province’s and states and federal organizations.

That’s why the sector as a whole is under a great deal of financial pressure right now. As we’re preparing our budget, we’re aware of the global context and we’re also aware of the challenges here in New Brunswick with the New Brunswick’s specific financial situation.”

Murray is pleased that the government opened discussions, but feels that more dialogue is needed.

The VP finance said their argument is built upon three pillars: balancing the budget, remaining competitive with other institutions and the ability to fund their Strategic Plan.

Murray justified their case by asserting the post-secondary sector can act as a solution.

“Of all the problems facing the province, investments in post-secondary education can help with all of those challenges.”

Ideas That Matter series launches at UNB

Susan Blair, from the arts faculty, is the first speaker in the Ideas That Matter lecture series. Mike Erb / The Brunswickan Alex Kress News Reporter The Arts Faculty at UNB is providing New Brunswickers with another forum for discussion on provincial issues with the Ideas That Matter speaker series.

Similar to Congress 2011 scheduled for May, which is a conference of researchers showcasing their work to the public, Ideas will offer five speakers and opportunities for dialogue on topics like the forestry industry and New Brunswick’s population and shifting demographics.

Susan Blair is the first speaker for the series and will kick off Ideas with a lecture on the stereotypes and at-

titudes many share about living in a ‘have-not’ province on the receiving end of others’ charity.

Blair is one of few archaeologists in the province and said these attitudes are not supported by historical evidence. In fact, New Brunswickers pioneered early water travel with the technology of the canoe and were able to make trips from Quebec in four or five days that would have taken other travellers significantly longer.

“This is what really interests me, this distinction between what we think we know about the past here and what the evidence suggests about the past here,” said Blair.

“We constantly are cast as the periphery and the edges and the margins and the place that is the recipient of other people’s innovation. Truthfully, that is not evident in the archaeological record here.”

She wondered why we are unable to shift to an understanding that involves recognizing the “cultural richness and the wealth of people here,” and said if we don’t challenge pre-conceived notions about New Brunswick, we can’t build and move forward to develop respectful relationships within our own society.

She thinks the history books need to be rewritten to make this clearer.

“History teachers are all over changing the narratives and rethinking things, but they need us to work with them,” Blair said, which is why she feels so strongly about keeping local talent in the Maritimes.

She lined up to do her PhD with a supervisor in the Middle East and she remembers someone having said, ‘There’s a tiny handful of archaeologists in the Atlantic Region and there’s, like, 2000 in the Middle East... Why would you go there? Where you’re needed is here.’

Blair and other archaeologists are concerned about the effects of global warming on their research because precious historical evidence is being

washed away.

“The storms we had this fall...we lost things, archaeological things. Sites that we will never know about because we couldn’t get to them in time.”

These are the kinds of issues Stephanie Slauenwhite, Dean of Arts, wants to engage New Brunswickers in with the Ideas series.

“I was looking at all of the incredible research that was happening across the faculty and thinking the people of New Brunswick should know about it...and we wanted to do it in a way that would stimulate discussion,” said Slauenwhite.

“It’s clear the province as a lot of issues facing it. Often those issues have social, or cultural or economic complexities attached to them, and that means the way we address them is probably based on research that comes out of the humanities or social sciences. We want to let people know there’s research happening in their own backyard that’s relevant to the issues we face today.”

Topics range from looking at the future of the forestry industry to the state of Canadian peacekeeping, to discussing implications of the internet and sex for youth.

About 25 New Brunswick businesses have become sponsors for the speaker series, including the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.

“I think the sponsors we have for the series, who are also sponsoring Congress, don’t see the economic viability of the province being separate from the social and cultural issues that we also face.”

Slauenwhite said she hopes Ideas will become an annual event, encouraging the engagement of public New Brunswick with university research so the province’s issues can continue to be tackled.

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Tim Rayne, new station manager for CHSR, has big plans to take the station into a new media age. Mike Erb / The Brunswickan Hilary Paige Smith News Editor CHSR-FM has a new station manager after a rocky few months.

Tim Rayne, former fundraising coordinator for the campus community radio station, stepped into the role in late January.

In September, the station lost both their station manager and program director after internal conflicts.

Rayne said he is ready and eager to start tackling problems at CHSR and move the station into a new era of radio.

Rayne has been with the station for a year and a half. As fundraising co-ordinator, he saw the hardships of raising money during a difficult economic climate.

“What I realized is that it’s really integral for the station to become more community centric and become a communications vehicle for non-profit organizations and artists and individuals that have subjects that really should be discussed.”

The station has been working on be-

coming more relevant to UNB and the surrounding community.

Rayne said because there is so few independent media organizations in the province it is important for small organizations like CHSR to find their voice and purpose.

“The community doesn’t really have an opportunity to hold any kind of discussion within a media outlet, whether it’s radio or television or film, because everything is controlled by companies,” he said.

“What we wanted to do is utilize CHSR, which is now in its 50th year, as getting back to basics by becoming a community outlet, both for music and entertainment, but for art and culture as well, and sports.”

According to Rayne, the biggest problem for CHSR has been a transition to newer technologies. Because more and more media outlets have been taking to the internet, the station is looking for more ways to reach out online.

“It requires a different idea and a differ-

ent sensibility about how to be progressive and move forward. With that comes along growing pains. We’re 50 years in, but we’re starting on a new era, a golden era of moving into a future of communication technology so we can provide the community with a new CHSR, kind of like taking CHSR into the 21st century,” he said.

CHSR is primarily volunteer-run with volunteers in charge of both the executive committee, as well as on-air content.

Rayne said more local musicians and non-profit groups have been coming to CHSR to have their voices heard, something the station is excited for.

The station has also begun providing podcasting, as well as live streaming their shows.

“We provide services so that people can share information by taking what they’ve done here and putting it on their websites or other websites so that people can have a bit of a discourse. The idea behind that is to take the station and give it more of a presence,” Rayne said.

Most controversial council yet Hilary Paige Smith News Editor It was the most controversial meeting of UNB Student Union council yet.

On Sunday, council met to discuss the resignation of vice-president external, Brad McKinney, the removal of an engineering councillor and general election-related business.

Discussion surrounding McKinney, as well as engineering representative, Chris Pelkey, consumed much of the meeting.

Pelkey, new to council this year, has missed five meeting in total, two more meetings than allowed according to council bylaws.

Pelkey came to Sunday’s meeting to apologize to council and profess his commitment to the Student Union.

“I’d like to issue an apology. I’m on a committee for Engineers Without Borders and will be a junior fellow next year,” Pelkey said, stressing the amount of training and extra meetings he’s required to attend for EWB. Pelkey said he is committed to council and made a firm promise to attend the

remaining four sessions of council.

Julia Coleman noted her appreciation for Pelkey’s apology, but said, “Attendance is important. Being heard is important,” when it comes to voicing the concerns of your constituents.

Many councillors seemed in support of Pelkey’s plea to council, but computer science representative, Ash Furrow, was unsure how he would vote because missing more than three meetings does violate UNBSU bylaws.

“The councillor has apologized, I just don’t know how I’m going to vote,” he said.

Julian Williams, law representative, was more supportive after Pelkey’s apology, saying it was a good indication of “recommitment.”

Shannon Carmont-McKinley, UNBSU president, accepted Pelkey’s apology, and said she expects to see him at meetings for the rest of the semester.

“No matter what it is that you take on, this needs to be a priority as it was pointed out earlier… Please don’t waste this second chance.”

The motion was taken off the table

and Pelkey remains the engineering representative.

Josiah Gado, international student representative, also brought up the issue of international students running for executive positions on council. The position of president is full-time, meaning international students here on a student visa are ineligible.

International student visas don’t permit more than 20 hours of paid work per week.

Camont-McKinley said she was unaware this was an issue and plans to look further into it.

The ongoing general election was also the talk of the table. Candidates entered the campaigning period on Friday afternoon.

The voting period will run from 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 27 until March 4.

Nominations have been extended until 12 p.m. on Friday for some positions: one education seat, four engineering seats, one forestry seat, one kinesiology seat, one law seat, one Renaissance College seat, as well as residence liaison, off-campus liaison, LGBTQ liason and Aboriginal student liaison.

Also, effective May 1, the position of differently-abled liaison will be re-dubbed, the accessibility liaison.

Do you know a member of the UNB community who deserves special recognition? Let us know.

Let’s celebrate the UNB 15. editor@thebruns.ca

brunswickannews

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 5

BMO makes $1.75 million contribution to UNB

Colin McPhail Editor-in-Chief In celebration of UNB’s 225th anniversary, the excitement continued when BMO donated its largest gift ever in Atlantic Canada to the university.

UNB is the proud recipient of $1.75 million from their bankers, BMO Financial Group.

The $1.75 million will be distributed to three areas of the institution to support the development of student programs at UNB, which in turn will benefit the region. A goal Steve Murphy, senior vice-president of the Atlantic Provinces division, said the financial group has been striving for in their 122-year partnership with UNB. “Our strategic intent is to help organizations like UNB and other postsecondary educational institutions continue to grow and prosper and continue to tackle whatever challenges come their way, be it a structural deficit or attracting students or contributing positively to the economic outlook for the province and the region,” said Murphy.

BMO has a long history in supporting post-secondary institutions in the Atlantic region, including a donation of $1.5 million to Dalhousie University last fall.

This particular donation was allocated to three separated entities of the university: the Varsity Reds men’s and women’s soccer programs, UNB’s Business and Administration Faculty and the UNBSJ campus.

The donation of $250,000 to the Saint John campus was to promote and give additional exposure to this valuable

component of the university.

“We wanted to recognize the Saint John campus,” said Murphy. “It’s an important campus as an extension to the Fredericton campus.”

UNB President Dr. Eddy Campbell was thrilled with the gift and quite pleased UNBSJ was recognized. The $250,000 will be put towards the University Commons building, a signature structure that will act as a shining focal point on campus.

“The donation means a lot to the university and what made me particularly happy was they used the Strategic Plan as the vehicle for making the gift,” said Campbell.

Both Campbell and Murphy noted that the gift was structured according to the university’s Strategic Plan, a gesture the UNB president was thrilled to announce.

“That kind of endorsement of the Strategic Plan from one of our longest standing partners means a lot to me and to the university as well.”

The second piece of the donation was $500,000 to put towards the development of UNB Fredericton’s Faculty of Business Administration’s Business Plan Competitions. In their 122-year legacy on campus, BMO has developed a strong association with the faculty and Murphy wishes to continue it by developing the case-study competition with a focus on international business.

The UNB president is proud of the commitment UNB’s International Business & Entrepreneurship or IBEC has made to develop the program and said BMO’s donation is indicative of that.

All smiles in celebration of the $1.75 million donation to UNB. Joy Cummings-Dickson / UNB “It’s a recognition of a part of the university that really shines,” said Campbell.

The final and largest portion of the gift was a $1 million donation to the Varsity Reds men’s and women’s soccer program.

The aim was to create a better atmosphere for student athletes to excel academically and athletically as well as increasing the program’s scholarship fund.

Kevin Dickie, UNB athletic director, is extremely grateful for the BMO gift and how it will advance the program’s progression and create new opportunities.

“I think it’s incredible. An awful lot of credit [should go] to go our development

office here on campus to really take an idea and have it come to fruition. As far as what it does for our soccer teams, it’s tremendously significant,” said Dickie.

“We want to recruit blue-chip studentathletes and the scholarship base that this provides allows us to do that.”

The timing of the donation could not have been better for the Varsity Reds as they prepare to host the 2012 AUS women’s soccer championships and the 2013 and 2014 CIS men’s national championships. The championships will be held at the newly named BMO Centre adjacent to the Aitken University Centre.

Dickie said BMO is synonymous with soccer in Canada and this is great marriage between both parties, as the donation will develop the UNB soccer and community soccer programs alike.

Murphy said the gift is not only an investment in the university, but an investment in the community as well.

“I think [New Brunswick] is an entrepreneurial economy and I think the University of New Brunswick is pivotal as an institution to produce talented students in all disciplines there,” said Murphy. “I think it’s important for the growth of the province.”

NBCC not stretching resources on campus

The new NBCC structure on the upper half of campus is slated for occupancy this September. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Hilary Paige Smith News Editor It seems UNB won’t be sharing as many resources with newcomers from the New Brunswick Community Col-

lege as originally thought.

Tony Secco, Vice-President Academic for UNB, is in charge of negotiations with the on-campus NBCC site that is currently under construction behind Marshall d’Avray Hall.

He said the only resources UNB will be sharing with NBCC students, faculty and staffers are the bookstore, parking and the Student Union Building.

NBCC has also put up the funding

to pave an additional 120 spots in the lot behind the Aitken University Centre. The Chapman Field dirt lot will also be paved after contributions from the community college, creating an additional 320 spots.

Bruce Rogerson, director of Security and Traffic for UNB, said there is no need for UNB students to worry about compromised parking spaces when the 400 or so NBCC students and staffers move into campus.

NBCC students will be required to pay for a parking pass from UNB Security and Traff ic, generating more revenue for the university.

Secco said NBCC has opted not to pay for additional study space in the Harriet Irving Library and their students will not have access to recreation facilities without a paid membership.

The vice-president academic said these services were deemed unnecessary by the community college because their students operate on an entirely different schedule and learning method than university students.

“They basically stay in class all day and then they leave. It’s not the same as a (university) student coming and

going and having half this day off and having a full day or afternoon labs… (NBCC) students leave and tend not to come back until the next day,” he said.

They will also be paying for their own alarm monitoring services, custodial services, maintenance and snow removal.

NBCC students are welcome to use the library, just as members of the public use the library for general use, but Secco said it is up to the community college whether or not they decide to fund study space in the future.

Secco said he hopes to see “a benefit of synergy” with a different kind of post-secondary education coming to campus.

Eddy Campbell, president of UNB, said he is excited for NBCC to be up and running.

“It’s really important to me that we treat them really well. (I don’t want) this idea that we have different classes of citizens on our campus, that’s an overriding goal for me, we make sure everyone on our campus is welcome.”

The $15 million structure will be up and running in time for the new academic year in September.

“Illegal” parking on campus costs UNB $162,000 Hilary Paige Smith News Editor UNB has accumulated $162,885 in lost revenue over the last four years from the amount of drivers parking without valid permits.

Bruce Rogerson, director of Security and Traffic for UNB, issued a press release on Feb. 10 stressing the problem with unpaid parking fines and parking without a permit.

In the 2010 school year alone, UNB lost $49,000 in revenue.

“If one considers the total amount

of uncollected revenue for outstanding fines of at the least $15 per violation for the last four years for unregistered vehicles on the UNB campus, it would equate to approximately $162,885.

This foregone revenue could have helped address students’ needs and the provision of better UNB services,” the release read.

At present, there are more than 230 unregistered vehicles with their plate numbers in the Security and Traffic database whose drivers owe more than $100 in fines. Some drivers even have up to $500 in fines.

Rogerson said Security and Traffic gets numerous calls daily from frustrated drivers who can’t find a spot because unregistered vehicles are taking up spaces. “(It’s about) professionalism and integrity with respect to parking on this private property called UNB. Obviously there’s two issues there. I mean, it should come from peer pressure. Students, faculty and staff are buying permits and they have people parking beside them illegally, they should tell them,” Rogerson said.

The cost for a parking pass is $81 and permits access to all student and general parking on campus.

Parking fail. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

brunswickanarts

6 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Vice-president external didn’t “fulfill mandate” Hilary Paige Smith News Editor Brad McKinney, vice-president external of the UNB Student Union, has resigned after months of not fulfilling his mandate.

McKinney was elected uncontested to the position during the 2010 general election. According to UNBSU bylaws, the VP external is responsible for lobbying at the national and provincial level, acting as a public relations officer between the union and outside groups and working with the Fredericton community on student issues.

McKinney’s resignation was discussed and debated at the UNBSU council meeting on Sunday night.

Computer science representative, Ash Furrow, moved for council to continue the discussion in camera, but CarmontMcKinley was vehemently opposed.

Josiah Gado, international student representative, made a point that McKinney was an elected official, therefore students deserve to know what events led to his resignation.

Business representative, Lauren Vail, told council on Sunday night she emailed SU president, Shannon Carmont-McKinley, last week expressing her concerns that McKinney was not fulfilling his job description.

Carmont-McKinley brought the issue to McKinney who promptly resigned from his position.

“For quite some time, we’ve had very little leadership coming out of the

office of the vice-president external, with very little motivation or drive in his portfolio. His work has been done largely because (Carmont-McKinley and Andres Fuentes, policy and research officer for the SU) stepped in to the role and made sure students haven’t been let down,” she said.

In a press release issued the afternoon of McKinney’s resignation, the SU president said the executive is confident they can carry out the remainder of the external lobbying campaign by sharing McKinney’s duties among executive members.

“We have been fighting for students at a provincial and federal level all year and will continue to do so. I am confident that the rest of the exec and staff can continue the excellent work they have been doing to make sure that our positions are front and centre in discussions with the government. This will not affect our plans for the remaining months.”

Because McKinney resigned, and was not impeached, he is eligible to run in the ongoing UNBSU general election. If a member of council is impeached, they aren’t allowed to run in an SU election for five years.

McKinney will not be seeking the position of VP external again, but will be running as residence liaison, a position he held before his term as an executive member.

The former VP external seeking a spot on council next year raised concerns around the table about McKinney being

Brad McKinney, pictured above during a past council meeting, resigned last week. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan able to perform on council next year after failing students as an executive.

Dylan Lenton, arts representative, spoke in favour of McKinney running in the general election.

“Yes, Brad resigned. Yes, he avoided being impeached. Residence liaison is a job he did well before and even though his job as VP external may not be up to code, I

think he should be given a second chance.

He’s shown that he can do that job, maybe he couldn’t handle the portfolio of the VP external,” he said.

John Boldon, student senator, also spoke in favour of giving McKinney another chance as a residence liaison candidate.

“I don’t feel, as a group, we should be

limiting somebody’s chances of getting involved in the future,” he said.

Because there was no motion on the table to approve the resignation, merely discuss it, council decided to halt debate after it was deemed to be “going in circles.”

Nominations for the position of vicepresident external are closed for the 2011 general election.

$100 business differential fee gets positive reaction

Bob Keleher, president of the Business Undergraduate Society, said a portion of the fee will support a business student lounge. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Alex Kress News Reporter The business faculty is voting on a new differential fee of $100 per full-time student annually today and tomorrow.

The proposed fee would be $50 per semester for full-time students and $10 per course for part-time students.

There are about 850 full and part-time business students, and Bob Keleher, president of the Business Undergraduate Society, estimates the differential fee would bring in approximately $85,000

per year, a 1.6 per cent increase in tuition.

The fund would be divided three ways: 50 per cent for an Educational Enhancement Fund, which is chaired

by Dean of Business Dan Coleman and directed by a board of three professors and three students; 25 per cent for an operating budget for the Business Society and honoraria for Business Society executives; and 25 per cent for a conferences and competitions fund.

A student lounge is being proposed under the Educational Enhancement

Fund. Keleher said he thinks it will be well-received among business students because the faculty is large in comparison to others on campus and there is no common meeting space.

Within the operating budget, the new fee will support a peer tutoring program where upper-level students will be paid to tutor students. The plan is to pick the five courses with the highest dropout and failure rates each semester and focus on helping students through them. This is in addition to online exam banks and places to post

class notes and assignments.

It also includes honorarium for Business Society executives, allocating $1,000 for the president and $500 for each of the five vice-presidents.

At the end of each year, the executive submits a report to the dean and, if the dean feels they fulfilled their duties, the honoraria will be released to them.

Brian Von Richter, a graduating business student, said he supports the differential fee, as long as the money goes toward student needs.

“I’m not 100 per cent sure how I feel about the honorarium for Business Society execs, just because it’s always been strictly volunteer and a résumébuilding thing, so I’m not certain that it really should have anything monetary attached to it.”

Keleher said the justification for honoraria is interest in the jobs fluctuates, so success fluctuates.

“We really don’t get good people coming out and there’s been little incentive to do that,” Keleher said.

Aside from that, Von R ichter doesn’t see a problem with it, and is especially in agreement with the proposal for a student lounge.

“With all the group work we do in the business program, to have one area where everybody knows and can meet if the SUB is full or there’s no seats in the library.”

UNB is one of the only members of the Canadian Association of Business Schools who doesn’t have a differential fee. They range anywhere from $50 to $249 per year.

The conferences and competitions fund would provide a pool of money that every student can apply to use to

go to a conference or competition to represent the student body.

Keleher said overall, the money will guarantee students get a say in how it’s spent and can choose which improvements they want to see.

Dan Coleman, dean of business since 1999, said the budget has deteriorated over the past 10 years, making it less feasible to offset conference costs for students and support their events.

“The differential [fee] would be a real big benefit for restoring the financial activity of the students,” said Coleman.

“Having the revenue generated to improve mostly classrooms and other student space, and periodically software and things, that would be very useful as well.”

Conferences include exercising leadership skills and networking, learning the best practices for running the society better and “enhancing the overall [student] experience.”

In 2008, a team of UNB finance students beat Harvard and NYU and came second in the world only to a team from Hong Kong in an investment strategy competition, so Coleman insisted the “reputational benefit” is worthwhile.

“It’ll be helpful, but not terribly onerous financially,” said Keleher. “I’m optimistic that it’ll pass. I think it’s a well-designed package.”

Every three months the Business Society has to submit a quarterly statement to the three professors on the board and they audit it to ensure the money is being spent well.

Voting takes place today and tomorrow in Tilley 306 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

check out story meetings wed. @ 12:30 SUB RM. 35

brunswickanopinion

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 7

editor@thebruns.ca

the brunswickan

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Colin McPhail Managing • Alex Duncan News • Hilary Paige Smith Arts • Alison Clack Sports • Christopher Cameron Photo • Andrew Meade Copy • Kristen MacArthur Production • Christian Hapgood Online • Sandy Chase Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Contributors Alex Kress, Matt Belyea, Brian Savoie, Mike Erb, Rob Williams, Cherise Letson, Josh Fleck, Amy Page, Ryan Brideau, Nicole Vair, Jared Morrison, Viola Pruss, Haley Ryan, Maggie DeWolfe, Shawn O’Neill, Justin Gaudet, Bryannah James, Ben Hicks, Nancy Ward, Oussama D. Hamza, Alanah Duffy, Ashley Theriault, Tomi Gbeleyi, John Robb, Jennifer Bishop, Tamara Gravelle The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 144th year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated

by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a non-profit, independent body.

We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 6,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed.

Letters must be 400 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.

Editorial Policy While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the editorial board to be racist, sexist, libellous, or in any way discriminatory.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board, or its Board of Directors.

All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editorin-Chief.

21 Pacey Drive, SUB Suite 35 Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3 main office • (506) 447-3388 advertising • (506) 452-6099 fax • (506) 453-5073 email • editor@thebruns.ca www.thebruns.ca

The Egyptian Revolution: It’s all about human dignity

Simon Shakibaei An Opinion As I was perusing through the pages of the last issue of The Brunswickan, I was slightly taken aback by the lack of content on that little revolution way down there in Egypt. You know, the one that’s only been dominating the news for the last 18 days. After all, it is the first political uprising fuelled by Facebook and driven by our fellow university-aged cohorts. As someone who has been following these events closely, I’ve taken it upon myself to inform my fellow students of to the significance of this transformative event and what it means for the Middle East à l’avenir.

The other day a friend approached me in the library asking, “Why Egypt…

What is this all about?” The protests in Egypt were conceived on the streets of Tunisia. Known as the Jasmine Revolution, young protesters tired of years of corruption, authoritarian rule and economic malaise led a popular uprising that overthrew the 21-year dictatorship of Mr. Ben Ali. The fact that both countries share much in common, a population bulge of discontented youth tired of years of corruption, authoritarian rule and economic malaise, is only part of the story. At the end of the day, this is all about is human dignity!

As David Brooks of the New York Times explains, people see themselves in a certain place in the social order. They accept the word of trusted authorities but as times change they start to view themselves differently. They feel they should express their own opinions and begin to have a different set of expectations as to how they should be treated. Their authoritarian rulers are unable to measure up and the people feeling their dignity insulted begin to march in the streets demanding a more legitimate and responsive government.

This has happened before, in places like South Africa, Russia, the Philippines and Indonesia. There too, protesters feeling as though their leaders insulted

It seems that dictartorships are on the way out. From Tunisia to the ongoing conflict in Egypt, Simon Shakibaei discusses the importance of revolutionary action in the Middle East. Photo by gr33ndata/Flickr their dignity by ignoring their views, demanded change. Dignity is a powerful virtue and has been responsible for a democratic wave over the world since the fall of Communism.

The impact of the Egyptian Revolution on the rest of the Arab world cannot be understated. With 80 million people (Algeria is the next largest country with less than half as many people), Egypt, culturally speaking, is the Arab world.

Your last chance UNBSU Student Beat Last week the UNB student union accepted nominations from almost 30 people for the upcoming general election.

It is exciting to see that so many people are interested in taking on positions of leadership and service to the students of UNB. These people are interested in participating in the work that the Student Union will do over the next year: planning events and services, representing students to local government officials and media, speaking for students on university committees and governing bodies and negotiating perks and benefits for students from other groups.

Those who are successful in winning their positions will have the opportunity to network with decision makers, learn how to manage an organization and gain valuable leader-

ship experience.

I know that as you are reading this column you are thinking, “Why didn’t I nominate myself last week when I had the chance?” Luckily for you, you haven’t missed the boat entirely.

Nominations have been extended this week for several general councilor positions (Education, Engineering, Forestry and Environmental Management, Kinesiology, Law, Renaissance College), Liaison positions (Residence, Off-campus, LGBTQ and Aboriginal) and other non-SU positions such as the UNB Senate and Board of Governor’s, the board for The Brunswickan, as well as for SUBS Inc. (the organization that manages The Cellar).

If you are curious about any of these roles, don’t hesitate to contact the current SU President, Shannon at president@unbsu.ca. Nomination forms can be picked up at the SU Welcome Centre and are due back by noon on Friday. Don’t miss this last chance!

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

And if it can export democracy as good as it exports culture, then despots in the Middle East will become an endangered species.

Out of fear of being the next domino to fall, rulers in the region are already starting to bend. King Abdullah of Jordan sacked his prime minister to appease dissent in his own country. President Saleh of Yemen vowed not to run, nor to let his son take his place. Demonstrations

in Algeria are intensifying. And the Palestinian leadership announced on Saturday that it planned to hold new elections, in direct response to events in Egypt.

As I write this, the now former ruler of Egypt, Husni Mubarak, is hiding out in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh next to the Red Sea. He is determined to, and will likely, die on Egyptian soil.

His nation is a better place without him; pharaoh’s are so last millennium.

bruns staff positions Here’s the list of available staff positions for the upcoming 2011-12 publishing year.

- Editor-in-Chief - Managing Editor - News Editor - Arts Editor - Sports Editor - Photo Editor - Production Editor - Copy Editor - Online Editor - News Reporter - Arts Reporter - Staff Photographer

A detailed description of each position will appear in future issues of The Brunswickan and can also be found online at thebruns.ca Applications will start being accepted Wednesday Feb. 23, 2011.

For further information, please contact editor@ thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

8 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Maybe it’s the wrong time to quit smoking, Barack?

Jon Salmon An Opinion

Because the constant stress of domestic and international issues, Salmon reccommends weed to Obama. marcmonaghan / Flickr

Plenty of talk has been going around for some weeks about the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. And by filing through newspaper articles and classes that all dealt specifically with the issue, there is one thing that has had me thinking for sometime and recently, smirking.

This probably sounds like quite a morose statement and before you judge, you should know that it has to do with the Obama administration, not the intense revolts occurring over the seas. Many—too many, in my opinion—of the aforementioned articles and discussions dealt with how Obama would respond to the crises and what it would mean for the United States and Canada. I must say it was quite the show of humanitarianism.

It makes me smirk to think of the headache that Barack is dealing with back at the Oval Office, perhaps even a migraine… ho ho. You may perceive this as another surly comment, but I just like to watch politicians sweat; it’s in my nature. Tonight, however,

my smirk evolved into a full-blown smile when I came across an article published by CBC News entitled, “Obama has quit smoking, wife says.”

Ye Gads! What will he do now? One of his few valves to release pressure in his nowadays more-than-stress-filled life has been sealed forever, according to his Whitehouse Wedding-Mate.

Oh well, I guess he’ll always have that custom-made dartboard with John McCain’s face as the background… I have 20 to 1 odds that say he’s been smoking a pack and a half a day since the rebellions started.

The article revealed that Obama had stated before that he was almost cured of his demon, but that “he acknowledged then that there were still times ‘where I mess up’.” Not quite the diction or phrase I would like to hear coming from a leader of a nation that had, as of March, 2008, 4,075 operational nuclear weapons, but, what the hell, as long as he isn’t tossing his butts in that silo.

The real question on everyone’s mind since this report has come out, obviously, is “What about the green stuff, pres? Obama has admitted to

toking the occasional zigzag as a kid, while being questioned about drug use back in 2006 when he was just a lowly senator. There has, however—at least to my knowledge—never been a published article bearing the heading of “President has kicked the pot.” This leads me to wonder why a strange, conspicuous cloud of smoke was exiting his window while I was doing my monthly stakeout of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Has this portion of his life been closed forever? Or just while in the presence of the press? A strange vision just struck me of Harper and Barack demanding Visine and cheeseburgers before they could surface from a private meeting… Weird scenes inside the goldmine indeed.

So what this situation boils down to is that Obama has to pick up smoking a pipe…those have always been accepted in politics. Something about pipes scream control. Classiness. We can’t have him pulling greasy lungs like he did in the good old days, although that might be the only thing that will rid him of that nasty Egyptian headache. Expect the legalization of grass to come before the uprisings are finished. Hypocrisy is a bad attribute in a World Leader.

Transgender rights bill a necessity

Brooke MacLennan / The Martlett

Do you know a member of the UNB community who deserves special recognition? Let us know.

Let’s celebrate the UNB 15. editor@thebruns.ca

Alix Kemp The Gateway (University of Alberta) EDMONTON (CUP) — Conservative opponents have dubbed Bill C-389 the “bathroom bill,” warning that if it passes, sexual predators will legally be allowed access to women’s washrooms.

This, of course, is bullshit; C-389 will add “gender identity” and “gender expression” as protected categories under the Canada Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code’s hate crimes section, not grant bathroom privileges to rapists.

The bill passed in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and still needs to clear the Tory-controlled Senate before it becomes law.

Gender expression refers to the outward showing of someone’s inner experience with gender. Since it’s currently not a protected category under the law, as someone who is gender-queer — and because I occasionally bind my chest or wear clothing from the men’s section of the department

store, or because I’m just a little too androgynous — potential employers can refuse to hire me.

It’s currently perfectly legal to discriminate against someone on the basis of their gender identity or expression in Canada.

Bill C-389 will finally make it illegal to fire someone from their job because they identify as transgender, or to deny them access to housing or essential services like healthcare. While passage of the bill isn’t yet guaranteed, I greeted the 143–135 vote with a sigh of relief.

But opposition to the bill has come from all quarters of the “pro-family” camp, with arguments ranging from warnings that it will result in kindergarten lessons about transgenderism to one Christian university professor threatening that “it will entrench in Canadian law the notion that sex and/or gender are basically social constructs, products of a series of human choices, based not in natural order but in more or less arbitrary acts of interpretation.”

Personally, I can’t see what’s so horrible about either of those possible outcomes.

Teaching children to accept people who are different than them isn’t going to cause Canadian society to implode, nor is having the law reflect the fact that people have a wide variety of ways of experiencing gender.

One of my favourite arguments against C-389 came from an editorial on the Catholic Insight website, which argued that granting equal rights to transgender and gender-queer people would “result in the harassment of recognized religious groups by an unrecognized ‘faith-based’ group with the help of the state,” and that the bill would “be a tool, not for increased toler-

ance, but for persecution and prosecution.”

I fail to see how granting transgender individuals’ protection from discrimination would interfere with anyone’s religious freedom. In fact, they’re free to loathe and despise me as much as they want, but it would be nice if I were still guaranteed equal opportunities for employment.

I’ll admit that I have my own reservations about hate crime legislation. I’ve never felt that punishing people for what they were thinking or feeling while undertaking an act that’s already illegal is particularly effective. What hate crime legislation underscores has always been law enforcement’s failure to protect minority groups unless forced to do so by special statutes, and reflects an attitude that creating more laws will somehow make the ones that already exist more effective.

But protection against discrimination is a different animal altogether. While conservatives have tried to argue that transgender individuals are already protected by existing clauses in the Human Rights Code like “sex” and “sexual orientation,” that just isn’t the case. They simply don’t want to extend protection to another class of supposed perverts.

Gender identity and gender expression are complicated categories, and ones not always easily understood by a large portion of the population. But that doesn’t make us any less deserving of legal protection.

The attempts of pro-family groups to cast transgender people as sexual predators covertly seeking access to women’s change rooms in order to assault women and children only demonstrates exactly how necessary Bill C-389 is.

brunswickanopinion

Feb 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 9

Canada’s dirty secret

Our outdated animal rights laws are enabling cruelty across the country

By Savannah Sher — The Concordian (Concordia University)

MONTREAL (CUP) — There are some things you never forget.

The sound of hundreds of dogs barking in cages so small that they are unable to turn around. Left for days without food or water, they become driven to attack and eat each other.

There is no daylight — sometimes there is no light whatsoever. The corpses of dead animals remain in cages beside their brothers and sisters.

The smell of feces and decaying flesh is so overwhelming rescue workers wear protective masks.

This is the reality of the Canadian puppy mill. Here, animals are treated as commodities to be traded and sold, not as living creatures that feel pain, distress and loneliness.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” Mahatma Gandhi famously stated. According to this model, Canada’s greatness must seriously be called into question.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which was founded in Canada and has grown to become one of the largest animal welfare charities in the world, recently published a report that compared animal rights laws in 13 industrialized countries. Canada ranked at the bottom in all areas.

“Those who might seek to measure Canada’s moral progress by our treatment of non-human animals would be deeply disappointed,” said John Sorenson, author of About Canada: Animal Rights.

Sorenson teaches critical animal studies at Brock University and his book takes a serious look at the exploitation of animals in Canada, focusing on the agriculture, fashion and entertainment industries. “As Canadians, we should be deeply ashamed of how animals are treated here,” he said.

Canadians seem to suffer from moral confusion when it comes to the rights of animals. Certain customs, like the seal hunt and individual acts of cruelty against pets are condemned and considered to be abominable, yet the practices of factory farming and animals being used for entertainment in circuses and rodeos are widely accepted. Even practices the majority of Canadians would disapprove of, like the mass production of pets in squalid conditions, continue to occur because the country’s laws don’t reflect these ideals.

Recently, the residents of Granby, Que. were appalled after the discovery of a dog and her litter of puppies abandoned with nails embedded in their heads just before Christmas. The most

horrifying part of this story, though, was not the act of cruelty itself, but the fact that if found, whoever committed this violence would merely be subject to a small fine and would likely still be permitted to be a pet owner. This is due in part to the Canadian animal welfare legislation that has not been significantly modified since it was written in 1892.

Canada’s archaic laws need changing “In general, our animal-cruelty laws are antiquated, remaining essentially unchanged since the 19th century,” Sorenson said. “Even the most modest proposals to update them have been stopped by an effective alliance of animal-exploitation industries, including agribusiness, breeders, equestrian associations, hunters and vivisectors.”

A bill was passed in 2008 to improve these laws, but the only changes that were made were to increase fines according to inflation.

IFAW reports that 99 per cent of acts of cruelty to animals go unpunished in Canada. There has been an increasing trend worldwide to improve and instate laws regarding animal cruelty and in the past few decades many countries have made changes to their legislation, but Canada has not.

“We impose some minor penalties on individual sadists who torture and kill animals for their own entertainment, but in terms of industry practices you can get away with almost anything in this country,” said Sorenson.

This is a result of the way Canada’s Criminal Code is written. It specifies that only ‘willful neglect’ can be prosecuted. This means that it has to be proven that the animal cruelty was premeditated for legal action to be taken. As a result, very few animal abusers are being penalized because they can claim that the mistreatment was unintentional. Many of the other countries involved in IFAW’s survey have provisions in place to ensure that people who neglect animals are prosecuted, whether there was willful intent or not.

The puppy mill capital of North America The Animal Legal Defense Fund published a study in June 2010 measuring the differences in provincial laws across Canada. Provinces were split into three tiers and Quebec was placed at the bottom, alongside Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

“Unfortunately, Canadian laws pertaining to this area are archaic in nature and deal primarily with issues of property such as not poisoning your neighbour’s animals. Therefore

The Concordian’s Savannah Sher offers an alarming insight into Canada’s archaic laws concerning animal cruelty. Photos by Christian Hapgoood the laws are incredibly out of touch with the current values of the public,” explained Lauren Scott, a campaigner for Humane Society International.

“Also, although this has seen a slight shift in recent years, Canadians do not tend to make animal welfare issues a priority when deciding who to vote for in terms of political representation.”

Scott, who is currently invested in the issue of puppy mills in Quebec and has been involved with several puppy mill raids in recent years, agrees with Sorenson that it is these outdated laws that permit animal cruelty.

This issue received a lot of attention in the media a few years ago due to a string of raids that exposed the deplorable conditions where the animals were kept. There were cries for action by many welfare groups along with the public. But since then, little has changed.

In Quebec there are no mandatory incarceration periods and people are rarely given jail time for their crimes.

Mistreated animals are not required to be seized from their owners even when they are convicted of abuse or neglect.

This means that known animal abusers are often given small fines and are permitted to keep their pets.

Quebec has been called the puppy mill capital of North America, with the majority of the dogs being exported

to other provinces and to the United States. Its weak provincial animal welfare legislation, combined with inadequate enforcement, has allowed the province to become a puppy mill haven. Dog breeders in Quebec do not need a licence to run their businesses, which ultimately leads to many instances of malpractice.

Quebec is also the only province in Canada that does not allow provincial SPCAs to enforce animal welfare laws.

Plus, mass breeders stand to make more of a profit in the province because they can get away with anything. The Humane Society International estimates that there are more than 2,200 clandestine breeding operations in the province.

The existence of ineffective penalties In Quebec, a first offence of animal cruelty gets you a maximum penalty of a $600 fine, with subsequent offences not exceeding $1,800. The maximum fine amounts for commercial instances of cruelty are $1,200 for the first offence and a $3,600 fine for subsequent offences. For a puppy mill owner, a few thousand dollars will barely impact their operations, with the cost of the fine quickly earned back by selling a few litters of puppies.

In October 2008, a mill was raided in St-Lin, Que. Acting director of Montreal’s SPCA, Alanna Devine, described the conditions to the CBC. “If you want to envision what hell would look like, you know, certainly for the small dogs, dogs stacked on top of dogs, very little access to food or water, excrement and feces everywhere. It’s so disheartening to see what we are capable of doing in the name of profit.”

During the raid, 150 dogs were rescued and the owner, Francesco Coelo, was fined $3,300 and sentenced to 180 hours of community service. Coelo was also banned from owning more than three animals at a time. It begs the question of why a man who pleaded guilty to multiple acts of animal cruelty should still be permitted to keep any animals in his care.

In order for the Humane Society to obtain a search warrant to investigate a potential puppy mill, they must first convince a judge that there is strong evidence of animal cruelty. Quebec only has 10 animal inspectors compared to

Ontario’s 200.

The goal of puppy mills is to produce as many dogs as possible at the lowest cost. Dead animals are left to decompose, dogs are given little or no veterinary care and are left to starve, often going days without food or water.

“This cruelty goes on behind closed doors, often in the basements or sheds of individuals living on the outskirts of cities. Therefore there tends to be an out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality, whereby the public feels less of a need to act on cruelty when they do not witness it firsthand,” said Scott.

The future of Canada’s animals Caring about animal rights is often something that is treated with distain in modern culture. The idea that animals even deserve to have rights is considered to be comical, with people joking about whether squirrels deserve the right to vote.

Sorenson believes that even though we have become accustomed to a culture of animal exploitation, animals should have rights for the same reason that humans should have rights — out of a sense of compassion, fairness and justice.

“Animals’ lives are important to them,” he said. “They want to live as much as we do. They experience pleasure and suffering as we do. Why would we want to deny to others the same enjoyment of life that we wish to experience ourselves?”

But the unanswered question is why.

Why haven’t Canada’s animal welfare laws been changed since the 19th century?

Why isn’t there more awareness about the nonexistence and ineffectiveness of the Canadian laws? Why does Ontario have a significantly higher number of animal welfare enforcers than Quebec? Why are Canadians allowing these shocking acts of cruelty to take place?

There may not be answers to these problems now, but there are actions that the public can take to show that they are not willing to support these industries of mercilessness and exploitation.

“The challenge lies in getting the appropriate laws passed to protect animals, and the public needs to be involved in this process,” said Scott.

“Only the public can put an end to the demand, and ultimately an end to these horrific operations.”

brunswickanopinion

10 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Student

Viewpoint.

What’s your drunken talent?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“Chess.”

Anthony Desmond

Russel Allyson

“Naked trampoline wrestling.”

Margaret the Antichrist

Verity Hamilton

“Not getting kicked out of the bar.”

Sarah MacDonald

Mike Kilfoil

“Ping pong.”

“Beer pong.”

Cedric MacIntosh

“Speaking French.”

“Ranting.”

“Making memorable quotes.”

“Snort giggles.”

Ellen Flood

Samantha Dixon

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 11

Scientists get to work at The Capital

Scientists of Sound cover dozens of electro bands including Daft Pank, Justice and MSTRKRFT, who the group opened for at the 2009 Halifax Pop Explosion. Aaron Collier / Myspace Matt Belyea Arts Reporter The Scientists of Sound have been busy in their laboratory preparing their new EP titled Wealth and Hellness. Now in its completed stage, the band plans on taking it on tour.

Craig Mercer and Aaron Collier, also members of Jimmy Swift Band, were drawn to SOS as a side project because of their interest in electronic music.

“I don’t even know if we ever really thought about it, I think it was kind of just born out of the other guys showing up late for rehearsal,” said Mercer.

Scientists of Sound started about four years ago.

“We would go and create a few tunes and maybe play one or two shows, and that would be it for about a year. Many of the songs we created actually ended up being JSB songs. As time passed we went back and re-vented it, and we’re having too much fun to stop now,” said Collier.

SOS has a highly original electronic hypno-rock sound. They’ve been deemed the looping madness duo and live up to the name with the twisted animal masks they wear during shows.

“The experience of SOS is sort of like a theatrical freak show at a rave. We try to keep it as theatrical as possible with costumes and video screens and images.

We like to dance and engage the audi-

ence and we like people to be at least a little bit frightened at least once during every set,” said Collier.

“Its definitely in your face – its like if there was a lot more rock and roll in dance music, that’s what SOS would be,” added Mercer.

Mercer and Collier are different than most DJs because they’re more actively involved in the creation of the music they’re playing. They don’t just get up on stage and press the space bar and pretend to play.

“We’re playing actual instruments and there are not very many DJs that play guitar along with their set. The creation element and being able to witness it being created makes it a

lot different than a normal DJ set,” explained Mercer.

“I’m a big fan of live music, I like to explore the possibilities that come into play with improvisation and allowing for these concerts to be different and in tune to have their life in that moment,” said Collier.

SOS has a set that is made up of almost all instrumentals and they are not timid about playing covers. Their tour will include music by Daft Punk, Justice and MSTRKRFT. “We’re building a repertoire of what we feel to be the classic dance tracks of at least the last couple decades,” said Collier, adding that their set will be an interpretation of that.

The tour will commemorate their new EP titled Wealth and Hellness which is comprised of six original tracks, half of which were recorded live.

“The world hears health and wellness all the time and associates it with a really good thing, but we’re just kind of turning that on its head,” said Collier.

The EP will be available at their show at the Capital on Feb. 17 as well as on iTunes.

“We’re really looking forward to partying in Fredericton, I love it there,” said Collier.

The Scientists of Sound put on more than just a music show; they put on a full experience. It looks like science can be fun after all.

brunswickanarts

12 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Out & About with a CBC icon

Haley Ryan The Brunswickan A special cafe is coming to town, but people won’t be showing up for the coffee.

Stuart McLean, best-selling author and host of the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Café will be performing at the Playhouse Theatre on Feb. 27 and 28.

His show’s blend of funny and heartwarming stories, musical guests and conversation will be brought to stages around New Brunswick in the coming weeks. The last time McLean was in Fredericton was two years ago and he said that he likes to tour the Maritimes at least every couple years to keep in touch with fans.

Although McLean is on the road about 100 days a year, he said it’s his favourite part of the job and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He added that while he always loves coming to the East Coast, New Brunswick holds a special attraction for him.

“I think New Brunswick is Canada’s unspoken secret, I love coming there… but I wish it was a better time of year to go wandering.”

Concerning Fredericton, McLean admitted he isn’t as familiar with the city as he’d like to be, but associates it with the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the river and the marshes.

“The size of the town is just right,” he said.

McLean is appearing with David Myles and Madison Violet as his musical guests and a few “top-notch” artists that have been with him for years in his backup band.

Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Cafe has become a CBC classic. Families from across Canada have made the radio show a part of their weekend tradition. Submitted Touring with up-and-coming Canadian musicians is one aspect of “the road” that McLean said he always enjoys, and in the last few years The Vinyl Cafe spotlight has shone on quite a few Maritimers.

“I don’t think there’s a better area of Canada ... there has probably been a disproportionate number of people from Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick [on our tour] in the last couple of years.”

This year, McLean is promoting his new book The Vinyl Cafe Notebooks and CD Out & About, so the audience can expect a couple new stories from these works and an old favourite.

The stories centre on Dave, owner of a second-hand record store, his wife Morley and their children. They have been a focal point of the show since the mid-’90s, when McLean’s program really took off.

It’s a great experience for a writer

to perform his material to a packed theatre, McLean said. Although he would pick his “passion” of writing if he were forced to choose between the two, McLean performing in front of a crowd is a unique experience.

“The touring is very special for a writer... you get to be there for the moment of giving and receiving, and in that moment things change, it becomes a collaboration. What used to be just shared with the producers

The academics of a ‘Bond girl’ Liz Smith The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier University) WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — Lisa Funnell has a long history with James Bond.

“I grew up watching the Roger Moore movies with my dad,” said the Wilfrid Laurier University film studies professor. While completing her master’s at Brock University in popular culture, Funnell got involved with writing about Bond academically.

“Why not write about the most popular, longest running film franchise there is?” she asked. This idea grew and flourished into what would become a very successful career researching and writing about the fictional spy.

Two of Funnell’s soon-to-be-published academic articles delve deep into the world of the British super-spy James Bond.

The f irst, an essay titled “Negotiating Shifts in Feminism: The ‘Bad’ Girls of James Bond,” will be published this March in Women on Screen: Feminism and Femininity in Visual Culture.

The second article is titled “‘I Know Where You Keep Your Gun’: Daniel Craig as the Bond-Bond Girl Hybrid in Casino Royale” and will be published in the Journal of Popular Culture in June.

Much of her current research on Bond regards the representations of female characters, specifically the “Bond girl” and “Bond villain,” and the way they can be traced throughout the franchise.

“At first, James Bond was given two different types of women. There was the good girl, or Bond girl, who emerged in the 1960s with liberal sexual identities. She was good because he could domesticate her.”

“The villains too had liberal sexual identities, however, they refused to

is now with an audience.”

He said the stories and conversations even have their own music.

“It becomes almost like jazz, I have a script, but things happen - I’m creating on stage, writing on stage.”

The Vinyl Cafe stories all vary in style, but McLean is mostly known for his uncanny ability to weave humour into emotional or deep subjects in such a way that it makes people stop and think. Indeed, he said that he finds this the easiest way to reach people and these types of stories are his favourite to tell.

“E.B. White wrote that humour has an added dimension, it can bring people close to the big hot fire that is truth. If I can take people closer to that fire, I’ve succeeded... but I can’t pick one [story] that’s my favourite. You don’t have a favourite child, but some you may like spending more time with than others.”

After traveling around the Maritimes for three weeks, McLean and company will head to the mid-western part of the U.S. Although he loves the traveling and doesn’t mind actually leaving his home in Toronto behind, “just being away is hard,” he said.

“But I never notice a difference in the people; no matter where I am they tend to receive things in the same way.”

Tickets for the performances on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. are available at the Playhouse box office in person, by calling 458-8344 or through their website. They are $45 for adults and $30 for students.

kooking with karlie Karlie Hanoski

Gourmet Hot Chocolate

Between Film studies professor and James Bond expert Lisa Funnell. Elli Garlin / The Cord be domesticated,” she continued.

“They laughed at Bond. That’s how the initial relationship was set, good girls versus bad girls, and James Bond in the middle.”

So how has the franchise changed?

“I have argued in my article that [Daniel Craig] represents a more American model of heroism. James Bond previously was a libido-based hero, his masculinity was based on his ability to bed women,” she said.

Craig’s portrayal of Bond is a shift away from what Funnell calls the “British Lover Model,” into a more “Hollywood, body-based model.”

“I would argue he’s also a bit of a Bond girl in it — he’s the one who comes out of the water in a bikini and lies on the beach to be gazed at.”

For this reason, Funnell feels Craig represents a completely new kind of hero for the series.

The Bond franchise’s place for women has also evolved, as Funnell

pointed out.

“Looking at the 1990s re-emerged Bond girl, who is an Americanized action woman, they’re post-feminist heroines,” she explained.

As for the end of her Bond writing career, it’s not yet in sight.

“Every time they release a film I feel compelled to write another paper and see where this franchise is going in relation to where it’s come [from].”

Funnell said there is simply not enough literature studying 007.

“There are gaps, [and] for me as a scholar you want to find those gaps and fill up the space.”

The next instalment, Bond 23 has an official release date of Nov. 9, 2012, with rumours of Javier Bardem playing the villain opposite Daniel Craig’s Bond.

As for Lisa Funnell’s opinion on the franchise’s sexiest Bond?

“Pierce Brosnan takes it. There’s just something about him.”

the snow and the midterm stress I’m sure we all need something comforting. A cup or two of this treat will help keep you happy and warm you up!

About 5

squares dark chocolate, broken into pieces (Cocoa Camino, Just Us and even President ’s Choice have nice fair trade varieties – I prefer 70% cocoa) 1 cup milk (no skim here, use at least 1%) small pinch ground cayenne pepper pinch ground cinnamon

In a saucepan over low heat, gently melt chocolate. Add spices. Slowly add the milk while stirring. Once warmed through it is ready to serve. You can play around with the milk to chocolate ratio until you perfect your own desired richness. While you’re at it feel free to explore different spice options and don’t forget the liquid varieties either! K ahlua anyone?

brunswickanarts

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 13

Art pioneer says goodbye Matt Belyea Arts Reporter Meredith Snider has been Gallery Connexion’s executive director since 2006, but is now hanging up the gloves for her new job and to make time for her own art.

Gallery Connexion began in 1984 as a venue that would offer contemporary and experimental work to the public. It is a not-for-profit organization that acts as an alternative to the more commercial galleries in the city by promoting politically and socially engaged work.

Snider studied at Concordia University and graduated in 2005 with a BFA with a specialization in Art Education.

After travelling through Mexico and Central America for about six months Snider returned to Fredericton looking for a job. She saw that there was a position at the gallery available for ten hours a week helping with website updates and the resource room. Shortly after Snider was hired for this position the executive director of the time left because she was pregnant. Snider applied for the executive director position and was successful.

She had lots of responsibility when she started as executive director in 2006 and was the only paid staff at the gallery until June 2010.

“Previous to that and especially the first couple of years, I was trying to keep up with programming and grant writing. I feel like only in the last year

and half or so I’ve been able to address more long term visioning for the gallery,” said Snider.

Originally set in the annex of the justice building, Gallery Connexion moved in 2010 to the Chestnut Complex on York St. “There was one year I think I looked at over 60 potential venues, so I felt almost like a realtor,” Snider joked.

After finding a landlord who supported them, the gallery moved with the help of volunteer labour. Snider said that the gallery’s membership is what has always made her position possible.

She explained the particular advantages of the Chestnut Complex space.

“I think the new space has a lot of potential to generate its own revenue, which actually helps increase government revenue because they like to see that your operation is self-sustainable.

That helps the long term so that it’s not completely reliant on government grants, because those can come and go.”

After the gallery moved places, Snider was awarded the Caisses populaires acadiennes Arts and Cultural Management Award administered by the New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts. The award included $5,000 for a not-for-profit arts or cultural organization which Snider donated back to the gallery.

“I think the board of directors put my name forward and I was given the award based on the energy behind helping establish a new space for the gallery,”

Former Gallery Connexion executive director, Meredith Snider, announced her departure at the end of last month for other personal and career pursuits. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan says Snider.

Snider’s decision to leave the gallery is partly because she is a practicing artist herself.

“I’m hoping to have a bit more of a regular work week and to save some creative energy for my own practice.

Although it’s really inspiring and I’ve learned a lot of practical information like how to ship work and hang work and install, I didn’t find I had a lot of energy to focus on my own.”

In leaving Snider secured another staff position to help with the amount

of work that the new space brings.

“If we were to lose that second staff I think it would go backwards, so my main goal was to up the staff and even have a new internship so you’d have two permanent staff and one intern,” said Snider.

Snider looked back on her time with the gallery as a good experience.

“The job really had me meeting a lot of people in the arts community, so it was great for discovering the art world here in Fredericton, which I find to be somewhat underground,” she said.

Gallery Connexion continues to be a crucial and important voice in the face of a community that is more conservative and traditional.

“I think it embraces a very alternative view and it’s very inclusive and open to people who are looking to experiment or people that do work that has a lot of content.”

Snider will be taking an administrative job with the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy or CRISP, which involves research in public policy.

Good music stimulates as much as sex: study

A study participant’s dopamine levels while he listens to music are measured. CUP Jacob Serebrin CUP Quebec Bureau Chief MONTREAL (CUP) — Researchers from McGill University have discovered that music can trigger the brain’s pleasure centres in the same way as food, sex and drugs, like cocaine.

According to a study, published in the

journal Nature Neuroscience on Jan. 9, music can release the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical in the brain that is associated with pleasure and reward.

While dopamine is normally released by behaviours associated with survival it can also be triggered by drugs.

“When we do those behaviours dopamine is released and then we continue to

do them, they get reinforced. We wanted to see if music was tapping into that same system,” said Valorie Salimpoor, one of the scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, who is using the results for her PhD dissertation.

“We know that music has been around forever. It’s been around in every single culture and it’s been around throughout

history,” said Salimpoor. “Usually behaviours that hang around for this long are behaviours that are biologically adaptive and have some sort of a necessity for survival. Everyone’s been trying to figure out how exactly music fits into this because we don’t have any direct evidence that music is necessary for survival.”

But it’s not just any tune that will trigger the release of dopamine, it has to be music that causes a strong emotional reaction, such as music that gives the listener chills.

“It has to actually move you, you actually have to be emotionally aroused for this to happen,” said Salimpoor.

Participants in the study brought in music that they found pleasurable and listened to it while the dopamine levels in their brains were monitored through positron emission tomography, or PET. Their physical reactions, including heart rate, were also measured to ensure that the subjects were experiencing an intense emotional response. To ensure that only the music could be responsible for the results, only instrumental music was used.

The list of music used in the study is quite diverse. While it has a significant amount of classical music, DJ Tiesto as well as post-rock bands like Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor were used.

According to Salimpoor the most popular piece of music was Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” a work that has featured on many soundtracks, while the strongest reactions for non-classical music were for a version of the same piece

by Tiesto.

As a control, participants listened to the music brought in by others, with their lowest reactions being used as a baseline.

“A piece of music that’s causing dopamine release and chills and these intense emotional responses in one person is doing absolutely nothing for another person,” said Salimpoor.

The researchers found that dopamine was released in different parts of the brain at different points in a piece of music.

The “peak pleasure phase,” which Salimpoor describes as “the part of the song that you really, really like,” triggers a response in an area of the brain connected with emotion. It’s the same area of the brain that responds to drugs like cocaine.

As well there is an anticipatory phase that releases dopamine in a part of the brain that has strong connections to the frontal cortex, an area of the brain that is involved in complex thinking, anticipation and expectation.

“If you think of your favourite song right now you probably have a part of it that you really, really like and that part might just be a few notes or a few tones that you just really want to hear that makes it so good,” said Salimpoor. “Now if you heard that in isolation it probably wouldn’t give you any good feelings, I mean it would be okay, but it would be much better if you could hear it in the context of the rest of the song.”

Salimpoor said her next study will involve looking at why people buy music and how new music is received by the brain.

know a talented artist or artisan who goes to UNB? let them be recognized for their work. email arts@thebruns.ca

brunswickanarts

14 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS the brunswickan board of directors

game preview by christian hapgood Company of Heros: Online screenshot

• Undergraduate Students Representative • • • •

represent the interests of undergraduate students hold office May 2011 to April 2012 must be 19 years of age or older must be in good academic standing

Pick up a nomination form at the Student Union Welcome Centre. Nominations extended until February 18th.

For more information about the position, contact managing@thebruns.ca

World of Tanks screenshot

twitter.com @brunswickan

If your a PC gamer who’s into the WWII genre, today’s your lucky day.

THQ has had open beta testing on their newest addition to the Company of Heros series Company of Heros: Online which features new Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) concepts such as customizing your own commander.

Another new MMO released for open beta testing, World of Tanks, has been recently been getting some prase for its new & fresh concept.

World of Tanks Company of Heros: Online Release Date: Mar. 31st 2011 Release Date: TBD This new face for Company of Heros features new MMO concepts into the game such as cuztomzing your own commander, adding buffs for units by earning in game credits, and a slightly cartoonish menus. The gameplay is almost identical to the previous release, and so far you can only choose between using the Amerians and the Germans.

World of Tanks is a new MMO open for beta testing, and it is getting a lot of attention. World of Tanks has been in open beta testing for a few months now, and has greatly grown in popularity since its opening. The battle gameplay is much like a suppremacy match, where each player controls and customizes their own WWII tank from the Russians, the Germans or the Americans.

Download the open betas @ www.companyofheros.com www.worldoftanks.com

arts in brief.

SOS EP release @ The Capital Feb. 17, 11 p.m.

Scientists of Sound will be playing at show at the Capital Complex to celebrate the release of their new EP. In addition to their own mixes the group will be playing covers of electro favourites, Daft Punk, MSTRKRFT and Justice.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.

International Film History Screening @ HIL Feb. 22, 6 p.m.

The Department of English and the Harriet Irving Library have up to present the International Film History Screening Series. This week is the film, The 400 Blows from France. The films are screened in the Milham room of the HIL at 6 p.m.

Perfect Pie @ Memorial Hall Feb. 23 – 26, 8 p.m.

TUNB is presenting another play and this time it’s the theatre minor students who are putting out their best effort. Perfect Pie by Judith Thompson will be performed. Tickets are $6 for students.

Rich Aucoin @ The Capital Feb. 25, 11 p.m.

Check out musician and showman extraordinary Rich Aucoin play at the Capital next weekend. Advance tickets are $10 at Read’s and Backstreet Records, $12 at the door. Doors open at 10 p.m.

brunswickansports

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 15

sports@thebruns.ca

Men’s volleyball have statement weekend

Jennifer Bishop Staff Writer A team that had not defeated the Dalhousie Tigers since February 15, 2008 showed they are not to be messed with at home, dropping the Tigers in two straight matches.

In one of the busiest weekends at the LB Gym because of the Think Pink Week, the Varsity Reds men’s volleyball team made a statement this past weekend as they won both matches 3-0.

“To play against Dalhousie, it’s never easy,” said head coach Dan McMorran. “I wrote two words on the board tonight, aggressiveness and execution and tonight we were aggressive and tonight we executed.”

UNB started the opening match of the weekend playing to Dal’s weaknesses winning the first set 25-15. The next two sets played out much the same, leaving Dal with problems on serve receives and getting their overall game together. In the second set UNB won the match with a score of 25-16 and the score looked all too familiar for the Tigers with the final score of the third set resting at 25-18.

This weekend’s games were especially important for the Varsity Reds, leaving them in a better position to win the AUS championship if they won both games because of the home court advantage.

After Saturday night’s match, McMorran said, “It’s an important weekend because we’re fighting for first place in the conference and if we win tomorrow it’s significant.”

“We weren’t communicating well and our service reception was really poor,” Dalhousie head coach Dan Ota said. “We didn’t put much pressure on them and consequently they were able to pass really well and they were able to run anything they wanted offensively and all their hitters were in rhythm.”

Even though the first game was a relatively easy win for the V-Reds, both coach McMorran and the team were prepared for a harder fight going into Sunday’s game.

Dal came out stronger and started playing together, but still struggled as UNB won the first set 25-22. The second and third set saw the Tigers playing better, but the Varsity Reds played harder leaving the final score of the second and third sets at 25-17 giving UNB their second three

After going three years since their last win against the Dalhousie Tigers, the Varsity Reds men’s volleyball team swept their doubleheader at home over the weekend. UNB won both matches 3-0 and also clinched home court for the best two of three AUS championships.The first game goes Friday night at the LB Gym followed by game two at Dalhousie on Sunday. Christopher Cameron / The Brunswickan set win.

“We could have come in here today and lost 3-0 to that team and both teams played extremely well, so we were prepared for that,” said McMorran. “That was the first time in probably three years that we’ve kept the pressure on a team like Dalhousie throughout an entire match.”

After the game Ota said that many of the problems from Saturday’s game car-

the panel voice your opinion

ried over into the team’s play on Sunday.

“We thought we did a little better job at putting pressure on them at times,” he said. “But overall, it was nothing that we were able to sustain.”

The players of the game both nights were UNB’s Julio Fernandez with 12 kills and three blocks in the first game and 16 kills, two aces and two blocks in the second game and Dal’s Graeme Higgins with 10

kills the first match and 11 kills the second.

“It was a great weekend and we played really good,” said Fernandez. “The best thing was, we have the confidence all the time and we can keep that for a whole game and it was very important to us because we have that consistency the entire game.”

The Varsity Reds take on the Tigers again next weekend on Friday night, the opening match of the best two of three

brought to you by:

Who will take the AUS men’s volleyball title and in how many games?

Christopher Cameron

Colin McPhail

Josh Fleck

It will be UNB in three matches. Being at all four matches between these teams this season I have been fortunate enough to see the ups and downs of both squads. The Tigers will not be as sloppy as they were last weekend when the championship is on the line and therefore UNB will not be able to sweep the Tigers. Both squads are evenly matched on the court, moreso than on paper and that is why it will take three hard fought matches to get it done.

The Reds have the momentum.

They have the home court advantage. They have the talent. They have the coaching. It’s simple. UNB is going to rid themselves of the 24year old monkey on their back.

Reds in three matches.

The home team has won each match with the Reds doing so in convincing fashion this past weekend, so UNB will take both of their home games due to the 7th man. I’m going to say that the 7th man is mostly Colin MacKenzie and his crew. Nobody chirps better than those boys and it showed this past weekend. Keep up the good work boys.

Sports Editor

AUS championship.

Coach McMorran said, “I know I’m expecting the same UNB team and I’m expecting a better Dalhousie team. The Dalhousie team is probably not going to make as many unforced errors, but we’ll see.”

After Friday night’s match, they will travel to Dalhousie for the second game on Sunday.

EIC

Sports Writer

Rob Williams Sports Writer

If you had asked me the same question last week, I would have said Dal would take the title in straight sets.

But this weekend, UNB pulled off a huge upset to beat Dal 3-0 in both games they played. Now I’m starting to think that UNB will take the series, but need all 3 sets in all 3 games.

I think it’ll be a nailbiter for the UNB faithful, but the patience and perseverence will pay off in the end.

brunswickansports

16 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Behind the Bench: Paula Stewart

Brian Savoie Sports Reporter After beginning her swim coach career in 1997 in Oromocto, Paula Stewart is now entering her eleventh season as head coach with the Varsity Reds swim team.

Stewart, a former Varsity Reds swimmer, discussed her past swimming experience as well as what she enjoys most about being a coach and some of her most memorable moments with the program.

Brunswickan: What experience do you have as an athlete yourself? Where did you play and for how long?

Paula Stewart: I swam for UNB for four years. I was team captain all four of those years. In my first year the women’s team was very small. There was two of them from before and big group of us rookies. The girl who was the captain ended up quitting and I became captain that year. UNB is in my blood.

B: What do you look for in an athlete when deciding on your roster?

PS: It’s hard. Every year is different. I look, first of all, to see if there is a gap in my team, if I’m missing a specific stroke.

I automatically look to that first of all.

Obviously, I look at level of talent and how successful they have been in the age group system. Obviously, my top pick would be someone who is already at a national or CIS level.

But then also, I really look beyond that.

I feel that swimming is a very intensive sport; we train up to 20 hours a week.

On top of that they have to do university.

I look for somebody that has a very good ability to time manage and has a high commitment level and a desire to do it.

My philosophy is it’s a choice. I don’t force anybody to do this training. My training is

very difficult and very hard. I’m not going to stand there and scream and yell and tell you to do it. You have to be self-motivated.

You have to want it and have to have goals.

B: What is your fondest memory as a V-Reds coach?

PS: That is such a hard question to answer. One of them would be when Brian Beaudette was named valedictorian of the school a couple of years back. I’ve had so many amazing memories on deck and with my athletes. We go to training camp every year and the experiences I have there. I have so many different and great memories.

One of the top ones is when Dan Monid won the 50 free at CIS and was named to the FISU games to and we both got to go to Turkey. With Dan, he came here and in his first year he was hardly even a national qualifier. And to then three years later have him win at CIS and get him named to a Canadian National team, unbelievable.

B: Prior to a competition what do you do to get your athletes prepared for a meet?

PS: Physically it’s a huge process. A big part of what I do going into competition, I’ve kind of used it as a really strong tactic, is to keep everything relaxed, especially during taper time. They’ve worked really hard to get to these one or two competitions within a year, so the stress levels go up very high. They get worked up; I’ve had swimmers on the deck crying. So I really try to keep the stress levels down. I try to keep things light and fun, but also I do a lot of this throughout the year and really bump it out before the competition and a lot of confidence building. It’s all about their level of confidence once they get to that big competition.

B: Going into a season do you set a goal for yourself as a coach?

PS: I set personal goals in terms of what I want to do; for how many recruits I want to have and how many people I want to get into the program, for types of training and how many meters I want to get done during training camp.

I look at my talent pool and what they did by the end of last year. It’s challenging to set goals from one season to the next, obviously I still do. I want to do better this year than last year. But your complement changes so much from year to year. I know on paper what I have, so you make goals at the start of the season based on that. By November those goals do change because I know what I have and know what I’m working with.

Do you know a member of the UNB community who deserves special recognition? Let us know.

Let’s celebrate the UNB 15.

editor@thebruns.ca

Positive finish to AUS swimming season

Ryan Steeves pushes off the wall at the AUS swimming championships held last weekend at the Dalplex, where UNB qualified three more swimmers for CIS. Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan Brian Savoie Sports Reporter This past weekend the Varsity Reds swim team was in Halifax for the AUS championships.

Although they had high hopes and performed well in some events, the entire competition was dominated by the Dalhousie Tigers, who are the team to beat in Atlantic Canada.

Paula Stewart, UNB head coach, weighed in on the positive aspects of the completion, despite the limited success.

“We had a fantastic championship,” said Stewart. “As a team we posted a tremendous amount of personal best times and

the team stepped up a notch in their level of ability and their move to close in on the Dalhousie Tigers.”

Although she was optimistic about the women’s potential to close in on the Tigers, Dalhousie more than doubled the Reds in points by the end of the AUS championships, 444 to 210. The Varsity Reds still held their second place by a fair margin, by almost tripling third seed Memorial’s 78 points.

“We had a large amount of medal performances,” said Stewart, who went on to praise her team and some individual performances.

Danielle Losier had a particularly good

weekend and a strong showing with three gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200-metre breaststroke events. “[She] was a dominant force this weekend,” said Stewart when asked about Losier’s performance.

Other highlights from the championships include Danielle Merasty netting two silver medals in the 50-metre fly and the 100-metre freestyle races. The UNB women’s squad also took silver in both the 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle competitions, losing out to the Tigers both times by only seconds.

Stefan Mader managed to win a bronze in 100-metre fly and qualified for the CIS championships, the only one to do so from the men’s side.

Although just a swimming club here at UNB, the men’s swimming team still went to the AUS championships to challenge teams that are not only better funded, but also who have access to more resources.

Their showing may not have been as strong as the women’s, but it was no less respectable. They placed fourth overall, out of six teams with 69 points.

Stewart was thrilled that five UNB swimmers will represent the V-Reds at the CIS Championships. Mader will be joined

by Jacqueline Murchison, Jen Acheson, Losier, Merasty.

“It was a great weekend and the ones going on to CIS are very motivated to travel to Calgary to perform and shine,” said Stewart.

The CIS championships take place next week, Feb. 24-25 in Calgary, Alberta.

Women’s basketball move into top spot in AUS Josh Fleck Staff Writer The V-Reds entered a doubleheader against UPEI with one goal in mind: track down CBU for top spot. With two big home wins, they did just that.

Although, it wasn’t an easy for the Reds as one half of their point guard tandem was not in the lineup.

Megan Corby, who is fourth in assists in the AUS, did not play all weekend, leaving the point guard duties to older sister Leah. This wasn’t the end of the world as Leah sits third in the AUS in assists.

Coach Jeff Speedy feels that with the Corby sisters at the helm good things will happen.

“I like them both a lot, that’s why they both play there and moving forward they are both going to play there. Leah is a deadly three point shooter, so having Megan burning down the middle with Claire and Leah on the outside with Amanda in the middle it’s fun to look at.”

Friday night saw the ladies get off to a fast start as the V-Reds jumped out to an opening quarter lead of 24-13 and pushed it to 48-30 at halftime. Behind the strong play of Claire Colborne and the aforementioned Corby, UNB cruised to a 90-66 win.

Colborne finished up the first game with 27 points while Corby was all over the stat sheet as she finished up the game with 18 points, seven assists and three steals earning herself player of the game

honours.

Game two on Saturday started out a little different as UPEI was the team jumping out to the early lead with an 8-0 run. The Reds started to click on offence and defence as they scored 31 points in the quarter and only allowed the Panthers to score 13 more points.

With a 31-21 lead after the first quarter the Varsity Reds went a little cold in the second quarter as they could only muster 13 total points. With the Reds on a cold stretch, the Panthers crawled back into the game and cut the lead to two going into halftime.

Coming out of the break the Reds pushed their lead to 12 as they came out with 10-0 run to open up, but UPEI showed they weren’t going to go away quietly as they put together their own 10-0 run to cut the UNB lead to just one. UNB closed out the quarter on an 11-2 run led by Corby again.

A back and forth final quarter saw the Reds come away with a 98-78 victory and tied atop the AUS standings with CBU who they face next weekend in the final regular season women’s game at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. “We talked at halftime and we thought we could score a lot, but we weren’t going to be able to go on a run until we got some stops. At the start of the third quarter we did it, and at another point in the third and again in the fourth,” said Speedy. “When we get three or

The women’s basketball team are tied for first in the AUS with CBU after a sweep at home.Two of their final three games of the season are against CBU, which will decide who gets first. Mike Erb / The Brunswickan four stops it allows us to go on a run and build a lead.”

Corby was again named player of the game finishing up with 19 points on 7-11 shooting and five assists. Colborne again led the team in scoring with 21 points.

brunswickansports

Health myths: Fact or fiction

Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 17

First-round playoff bye locked up

With a sweep at home last weekend the women’s volleyball team will now have a bye through the first round at this weekend’s AUS championships. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Many myths surround health issues. Some of the more popular ones are broken down into fact or fiction below, so you aren’t left asking yourself whether they are true or not. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Victoria Alarcon The Excalibur (York University) TORONTO (CUP) — When it comes to staying healthy, it’s no surprise people will believe just about anything to stay in good health. Whether it’s drinking green tea every day or eating chicken soup every hour, the consensus has always been better safe than sorry.

But who’s to say that every single thing we hear is true? Here are some of the most popular myths around, and the truth behind them.

Chocolate can give you acne — fact.

The tasty treat is known for coming in different shapes and sizes and is one of the most popular sweets around, but the probability of getting acne from eating chocolate is very high.

“Some people have allergies or are sensitive to some of the components in chocolate, so that may trigger acne,” said Rolando Ceddia, a health professor at York University. Ceddia cautions people eating the treat, saying that though researchers have yet to find a reason as to why chocolate triggers acne, there is a clear association between the two.

Orange juice will prevent the flu — fiction.

The drink is enriched with vitamin C, which boosts your immune system, and calcium, but it’s not the key to any secret antidote to the flu.

The theory has been the more you drink, the more likely you are to stay healthy, but as far as scientific evidence goes, it’s untrue, said Ceddia.

“The reason they say it’s good is because there is vitamin C in it — some people say it prevents flu or infections — but there are a lot of studies who look at people who drink it and there is no difference,” said Ceddia.

Though vitamin C has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of flu symptoms, the added sugar in orange juice hinders any kind of repellent effect.

Drinking green tea will make you lose weight — fiction.

There’s been a lot of news about the benefits of green tea, including links to weight loss. The nutrition value comes from the tea leaves that are left to be heated and then dried.

An article by The Globe and Mail notes that it’s been proven that green tea is good for the heart and for lowering the risk

of numerous types of cancer, but losing weight is not on the list of things green tea has been proven to do.

“They drink it because they like it, but there is no scientific evidence showing that it really does anything different than another tea or English tea,” said Ceddia.

Organic food is better for you — fact.

If one were to compare the two, one would find organic is the healthier choice, said Ceddia.

According to the health professor, the amount of chemicals and pesticides that go into the crops of farmers is a fair amount, and if there is any food out there that is grown without those chemicals, then it is indeed the healthier choice.

People have chosen to go with nonorganic simply because it is cheaper to buy, but at the end of the day, organic food is a lot healthier than the regular kind, said Ceddia.

“They put so many chemicals on it [crops] to make it look bigger and nicer, but it is not better,” he explained.

Carrots good for vision — fact.

Carrots are a great source of vitamin A, which is an important component of having not only healthy skin, but also healthy vision, according to eatrightontario.ca.

The orange vegetable is made up of beta-carotene, which changes into vitamin A after it is swallowed and digested by the body, said Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s office for science and society, in an article. It thus helps in developing normal growth in the body while maintaining good vision.

Eating chicken noodle soup is the best way to fight a cold — fiction.

Parents and grandparents have said it: The best way to fight the cold is by eating chicken noodle soup. Right now, though, there is no evidence to support that, said Ceddia.

“There is one nutrient or one component that may be related to making the body healthy, but when you put it in your system, the nutrient will not achieve what it is thought to achieve outside of your system,” said Ceddia. “It’s OK to eat chicken soup because it’s nutritious, but it’s not to say that chicken noodle soup is better than having broccoli soup.”

The best way to get rid of the flu is simply by resting well and drinking fluids, according to the government’s health website.

Christopher Cameron Sports Editor Entering the final weekend of women’s volleyball to ever be played at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym, the Varsity Reds needed two wins in order to get a first-round bye next weekend in Cape Breton.

Kicking off the weekend on Saturday against a tough Cape Breton Capers squad, which took the V-Reds to five sets in their last meeting, UNB showed they were up to the test.

A tough back and forth first set saw both teams trade the lead, with the separation exceeding no more than three points between the squads. UNB took the first set 25-22, showing this would not be an easy weekend to go for the playoff bye.

The second set proved just as tough as both teams traded points all set, with UNB finding the edge again winning a long second set, 30-28.

Unlike their last matchup where CBU took the first two sets, UNB was up and showed no signs of letting up, winning the final set 25-22.

This set the stage for Sunday’s game; the winner gets a first-round playoff bye.

UNB head coach John Richard knows how important a first-round bye is to his squad.

“Anytime you can get the bye, espe-

cially with the parity in our league, it’s a good thing,” said Richard.

Contrary to Saturday’s game against the lower ranked Capers team, UNB came out flying with a huge first set win of 25-18 over the StFX X-Women.

The X-Women obviously woke up in the second set as they bounced back, showing they were not to be taken lightly, dropping the V-Reds 25-21.

That was as close as StFX would get to winning the match, as the Varsity Reds put it in the next gear and took the next two sets 25-13 and 25-19 en route to their fourth playoff bye in five years and a 3-1 win.

Aside from picking up both wins this weekend, a huge positive was having Monica Jones back in the lineup after suffering a knee injury a few weeks back.

“She’s been back practicing for two weeks,” said Richard. “She probably could’ve come back last weekend, but we just wanted to be cautious. On Saturday night I thought she made some great plays on the ball defensively. Today she had 18 digs, something we’ve been missing since she’s been out so we’re definitely glad to have her back.”

Richard continued, saying he had no concerns with her health to finish the year out.

“She has the new brace and she feels

confident out there. It was good for her to get lots of touches against two playoff teams this weekend and I have all the confidence in the world she is back and ready to go.”

Next weekend the AUS championships go at CBU, with UNB’s first game on Saturday against an opponent to be determined in the quarter-finals.

Varsity Reds sophomore and player of the game against CBU, Amanda Bakker could not stress enough how well the team played over the weekend and how important the bye is.

“It was a huge weekend for us and having the bye will be a huge asset for us in the long run,” said Bakker. “It will let us rest up and pay attention to the things we really need to crack down on.”

Richard knows having the bye is a good thing, with only one negative to it.

“There are about 4,000 positives in getting the bye, but the one little negative is you can’t really prepare because you have no idea who you’re playing,” he said. “We could play three (Dal), four (StFX) or five (Moncton).”

“We’re just going to focus all week on our own side. We’ve had the bye for four out of the past five years and we’ve got a lot of veterans in that room that know how to fill in that 48 hours and know how to prepare once we find out who we play late Friday night.”

Will the AUS title make it’s way to UNB? Christopher Cameron An Opinion It had been three years since the last Varsity Reds win over the Dalhousie Tigers in men’s volleyball up until last weekend at the LB Gym where UNB won both matches.

As Dan McMorran said in an interview after Sunday’s match, “It’s the first time in I think three years that we’ve kept the pressure on a team like Dalhousie in an entire match.”

I was also at both matches held at Dalhousie this season where the Varsity Reds lost their two matches, 3-2 and 3-1.

Although they won 3-0 in both matches at home this past weekend the question needs to be asked; can they win this season’s AUS title?

The last 24 AUS men’s volleyball titles have gone to the Tigers. I’m sure I could keep going through the stats, most of which would be negative for the Varsity Reds.

Up until this past weekend there was not much of a positive outlook on their chances against Dalhousie this season when it came to head-to-head.

Yes, UNB had a better Interlock record than Dal, but Dalhousie is the team you need to beat to go to nationals. That is what we were missing up until this weekend.

Although the Varsity Reds now hold home court advantage over the Tigers, this weekend will not be Think Pink Week, men’s volleyball alumni weekend or the final regular season matches in the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. It was an electric weekend with the crowd packed in, which played a part in the Varsity Reds wins over Dalhousie.

This may pose any issue for the team, maybe not.

What happens when UNB doesn’t go into every technical timeout with the lead to keep the crowd in it, as they did on Sunday? The crowd needs to be in it if they intend on getting in Dal’s head and under their skin.

The atmosphere will definitely be tough to replicate, but that obviously is not the be all and end all of AUS championships.

Going into next weekend McMorran is “expecting the same UNB team, but I’m expecting a better Dalhousie team.”

That will definitely be the case. With Daniel You and Max Burt being near invisible for the Tigers last weekend, the Varsity Reds will definitely have a lot on their plate.

Oh and don’t forget Sander Ratsep, the conference leader in kills with 211, followed Tyler Veenhuis in second with 156. If this Dalhousie team gets the

spark they were missing last weekend the V-Reds are in for a world of hurt.

That being said, with Jacob Kilpatrick back in the lineup for the Varsity Reds after missing the matches against Dal last semester this team has some hope. Although championships aren’t won because of one man, this fifth year middle is tearing up the league after sitting out for half the season.

Kilpatrick is leading the league in hitting percentage, service aces and blocks, which speaks volumes to his abilities and what he brings to this team.

Unlike Burt who was out for Dalhousie for half the season as well, Kilpatrick is making an impact when and where he is needed most.

This championship will definitely go three matches and at least eight sets. The 3-0 win will be non-existent because let’s face it, Dal is fighting to keep their AUS championship title streak going, not wanting to be “that team” that lost to UNB. UNB will come out on top in an emotional third game at home.

Unfortunately the technology for machine designed to shoot confetti out when a team wins was not invented when they built the LB Gym or we’d be in for a red confetti filled gym to close out the Varsity Reds history before the Currie Center.

18 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

Split leaves Reds on brink of playoffs Sean O’Neill Staff Writer Varsity Reds head coach Brent Baker said after his team’s 76-66 victory over the UPEI Panthers that it’s “the most chameleon group I’ve been around in my life.”

No matter the varying levels of the energy and emotion that has directed this consistently inconsistent season, he is happy about one thing: the Varsity Reds are in prime position to grab their first playoff spot since 2006-07 after splitting the weekend doubleheader against the UPEI Panthers.

“I’m never happy with the split,” said Baker after the second game, “but we did what we had to do this weekend for sure and it puts us in a good position.”

With three games left, but 10 points available due to the AUS point system, UNB is virtually one win away from claiming one of the final three spots up for grabs for the post-season dance at the Metro Centre Mar. 4-6.

The post-season dream could have gone up in smoke if the V-Reds didn’t rebound after dropping the opening match 65-63. The Panthers’ zone defence gave the Reds trouble all night as it shot a putrid 30 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from three.

In a game that will never be on an instructional video for offensive execution, the Panthers gutted out the victory in the fourth quarter.

Needing a victory the next day, the adjustments were key to beating UPEI’s zone defence.

“We made a couple of adjustments this morning,” said Baker. “The biggest thing we changed was our whole attitude about how we came out.”

What a way to come out.

The Reds came out shooting at a blistering pace, draining 55 per cent from the field and a whopping 50 from three-point land. This blast of scoring got UPEI out of the 2-3 zone that had given them trouble in the first game.

UNB took a 44-22 lead to the locker room at half.

The second half was a different story. The Panthers switched their zone from a 2-3 to more of a 1-2-2, which made the game interesting again.

“We stopped executing on offence,” said Baker in explanation on how UPEI clawed back in. “Teams always forget what got them the lead, and that’s what we did.”

“Just simple execution, setting a screen on the side of the zone and stuff like that. We stood and looked at the basket instead of staying aggressive and we didn’t stay aggressive.”

UPEI got within three, but that was as close as it would come as the Varsity Reds won by 10.

“It was basically gutting out a win down the stretch today that really made the difference,” said Baker. “You don’t get yourself a 20-point lead and

out-rebound them by 13 by not bringing the enthusiasm we needed and the energy we needed. That’s key for us.”

After scoring only two in the first half, Will McFee led all Reds with 18 and DesRoches was his typical determined self with 16 points and 14 boards.

The team’s weekend split against UPEI wasn’t the perfect scenario, but the victory in the second match leaves the Reds in fourth place in the crowded AUS standings with 20 points. UNB is two points ahead of Saint Mary’s and UPEI who reside in the final two playoff spots.

The final three games of the season are against the CIS ranked No. 5 Cape Breton Capers and No. 7 StFX X-Men. “We’ve beaten X, who is in the top 10,” said Baker. “We’ve beaten three other teams that are in the top ten.”

“This team can play, it’s not that we don’t have it. It’s sometimes we get in a funk or we don’t come out ready.”

The final home game of the season is also the curtain call for the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. The V-Reds play Cape Breton next Saturday night and Baker knows he has the team will have to play a flawless game to pick up the win.

“We’re gonna have to shoot the ball really well, but we’re also gonna have to defend really well. They’ve have three beasts. Dorsey’s tough, Nkrumah and then of course Paris Carter as well.”

The road for the UNB men’s basketball team to make the playoffs became more difficult over the weekend as they split at home to UPEI. With only three games remaining the Varsity Reds have two games against the first place Cape Breton Capers and one against the StFX X-Men. A win will lock up a playoff spot for sure, but these teams will not make it easy. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

briefs Men’s hockey team sweep final weekend The UNB men’s hockey team won their final two games of the regular season shutting out the Acadia Axemen 4-0, followed by a 5-2 rout of the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday. The Varsity Reds are now off until the second round of the AUS hockey playoffs after finishing first in the regular seaon.

Tremblay finishes first in the AUS in points UNB men’s hockey forward Hunter Tremblay finished tied for first in the AUS points race with UPEI’s Matt Carter.Tremblay has 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points in 27 games played, while Carter had 20 goals and 24 assists in 28 games played.

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Fredericton native is NHL bound

Fredericton native Zach Phillips, is currently twelfth in the rankings for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. He is currently in seventh place in the QMJHL in scoring with 30 goals and 77 points in 53 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs. Submitted Rob Williams Staff Writer One of hockey’s up and coming stars is putting the New Brunswick capital back on the map.

Fredericton native Zack Phillips, a Saint John Sea Dog forward, tallied 30 goals and 47 assists in 53 games during the 2010-11 campaign.

That effort was enough for him to be scouted into the No.12 spot for the midseason rankings among North American skaters for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft in June.

Being in this type of environment is surely a difficult thing for someone who is still just a kid, but Phillips is no stranger to leaving home. He played hockey at Lawrence Academy, a prep school in Groton, Massachusetts, instead of sticking closer to home.

“The first couple weeks were hard, not really knowing anyone. But after a couple of weeks, you start to settle in and get to know your roommates and the people in your dorm and get a little more comfortable. It was definitely a bit different, it was a good experience, but I’m happy to be back home now.”

Regardless of the struggles in the beginning, it is clear now that he made the right choice as the scouts started to notice him early.

Originally drafted into the QMJHL in the second round by the Lewiston Maineiacs, Phillips was traded to the Sea Dogs in June of 2009. He enjoyed a solid rookie season in Saint John putting up 44 points.

While this may seem like nothing spectacular, it was only the beginning.

His current stats of 77 points in 53 games put him in seventh place in QMJHL scoring, only two spots behind No. 2 ranked Sean Couturier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Likely to be a high first-round draft choice, Phillips is going to be a coveted player by many NHL teams. Although

his hopes of being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, his favourite team looked slim, with a trade on Monday the Leafs now have a first-round pick to potentially pick him up. Although that is what he would prefer, for him the destination doesn’t really matter.

“I’ve been hoping since I was little to be drafted, so I don’t really want to get picky and choosy about who’s going to pick me. To get picked anywhere would be an honour. I’m just hoping to be drafted.”

Friends and family are almost always in attendance at Harbour Station and it certainly helps a budding athlete to know there are people in the crowd for him.

“It helps a lot. I have friends coming down to watch big games like tonight [against Moncton]. I always have family or friends here. It gives you a little more motivation to play well. Its definitely comforting knowing that people are around that you know.”

Family is be a big deal for Phillips. His biggest influences in his career so far are all family members.

“My grandfathers and my dad,” he said.

“Those three have really been a big thing for me for words of encouragement. I’ve actually got a tattoo of ‘good is the enemy of great’ from my grandfather. Just little words of encouragement like that have always helped me along.”

It certainly has helped him along. If his current ranking keeps, one of the teams that are going to be in the hunt to draft him is the Anaheim Ducks. That would be a big thing for Phillips. The player he models his game on is Ducks captain and his favourite player, Ryan Getzlaf.

“He’s obviously a big two-way centreman with hands and some scoring ability.

He’s someone that I’d like to see myself playing as. He’s obviously, I think, a really good role model to look after.”

For Phillips, the plan is just to get drafted and he seems well on his way.

Not bad for a kid from the south side of Fredericton.

hard hitting sports.

sports@thebruns.ca

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Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144 • 19

Amateur athletics gets short AUS men’s hockey playoff preview stick between Olympics Evan Daum The Gateway (University of Alberta) EDMONTON (CUP) — Just 12 short months ago, Canadians were beginning to don their red mittens and new Team Canada sweaters ready for the Vancouver Olympics. Anticipation and pride was in the air as the country turned its attention to both amateur — and some not so amateur — athletes representing their country.

But as it turns out, the interest in amateur athletics was just a blip on the radar.

Fast-forward to today and that love of our amateur athletes has quickly faded away. Our pride has been shelved until at least the London 2012 games when suddenly Canadians will be reminded that there are a whole lot of athletes out there dedicating their lives to being the best in sport.

While the lack of attention for our amateur athletes between Olympic Games isn’t new, it’s still sad. Take for instance this past weekend: A few golden days for Canadian amateur athletes, with one firstplace performance coming in the pool and another on the slopes.

Swimmer Brent Hayden, who participated in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, won gold this weekend in the 100-metre freestyle at the Austin Grand Prix in Austin, Texas — a race that attracts the top aquatic athletes in the world.

Hayden, a Mission, B.C. native, beat out the likes of American Ryan Lochte, a six-time Olympic medallist among others.

Yet, hardly anyone north of the border will take notice.

Chris Del Bosco will know the feeling, too; he took home gold this weekend in France, winning a World Cup ski-cross event.

Both athletes are among the best in the world in their respective sports, but, unless you’re an ultra-dedicated fan, Canadians could care less unless the bright lights of the Olympics are on.

I’d be the first to admit: it’s tough following amateur sports in this country. You can’t expect to see 10 minutes of swimming coverage off the top of SportsCentre anytime soon, and that makes being a

supporter of certain sports more difficult.

But whatever you do, don’t point the finger squarely on sports fans for not appearing to care.

Why did Canadians latch onto the Olympics in an outpouring of patriotism last February? The superb media coverage of the Games had a lot to do with it. But, in the past year, those networks attention to amateur sport has been minimal at best. It’s not only disappointing it’s bad business.

With the Olympic broadcast consortium of CTV Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. showing the Summer Games in London next summer and with their eyes on bidding for the broadcast rights for the Sochi and Rio de Janeiro Games in a few years time, pumping money into broadcasting premier amateur sporting events between Games would go a long way in building a greater audience in this country.

By putting money into covering amateur sports between Olympic years, broadcasters would be building the foundation of their Olympic coverage by creating a fan-base, and in turn a stronger bargaining position with advertisers.

Even though the CBC broadcasts amateur sports throughout the year, it’s going to take TSN to build the amateur sports brand in this country just like they’ve done with the CFL. The network created a bigger TV audience for Canadian football and in turn elevated the stature of the league, creating more lucrative advertising opportunities for the network.

If you can get sports fans to watch scruffy-looking goofballs sit around a poker table, selling real sports featuring the most gifted athletes in the world is more than doable. It’s time sports broadcasters realize there’s an untapped sporting market out there, because after all, sports fans want to see the best in the world, and athletes like Hayden and Del Bosco are just that.

Here’s to hoping TSN decides it’s worth their time and money to cover amateur sports before — and not just during — the Olympic Games.

Although the UNB Varsity Reds are not going to be in the first round of the playoffs, there will be plenty of action next weekend to kick off the AUS men’s hockey playoffs with Dal at StFX and UPEI at Acadia.

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Christopher Cameron Sports Editor As UNB rests and prepares for who they will meet in the semi-finals of the AUS men’s hockey playoffs, this week kicks off the quarter-final matchups.

With STU and UdeM not making the playoffs as the cellar dwellers of the 2010-11 season, this season’s playoff matchups look to be some of the most even in recent years.

Although UNB and SMU may have a break, beginning tomorrow the AUS men’s hockey playoffs will begin with quarterfinal matchups.

(3) StFX vs. (6) Dal One of the tightest matchups on paper, these two squads have shown they are evenly matched on the ice, even if they aren’t on paper.

During the regular season they split the series, winning one apiece on the road and at home.

That being said, Dalhousie is making their first playoff appearance in seven years, while StFX is the AUS runner-up from last season.

Dalhousie Tigers head coach Pete Belliveau said he is pleased to be in the playoffs, regardless of rank or opponent.

“It’s the first time we’ve been in the playoffs in seven years. We don’t care if we’re sixth or first, so long as we’re in the playoffs.”

Belliveau continued to say that his team’s goal this season was to make the playoffs after missing the cut by just a point last season.

“It was one of our goals for sure. Last year we missed the playoffs by one point,” he said. “Three years ago when I was hired we won four games, last year we won eight games and this year we won 13. We’re in the right direction right now.”

Although the team could simply be happy with making the playoffs, Belliveau said that his team does not have that mindset going into the weekend.

“We don’t have that mindset, ‘we’re happy to be here’, we want to win,” he said.

“Look what happened last year. StFX made the playoffs, beat UPEI then went out and beat UNB. Anything can happen.”

Much like Belliveau, StFX head coach Brad Peddle feels that the playoffs are a completely different time and anything can happen.

“When the playoffs start you take the regular season standings and results and throw them out the window because it is a new season, no question,” said Peddle. “We look at Dal and what we’ve done against them this year and it has been pretty even.

I know they’ve played us hard this year so we’re expecting a tough opponent this first round.”

After finishing off the season against the Aigles Bleus and Tommies, the X-Men well have some tougher opposition this weekend. Peddle believes preparation will continue to be the same as any other week.

“For us we’re not planning on changing too much,” he said. “We had a really good second half and we’re a lot of the little things well that playoff teams need to do. We need to concentrate on doing those things into the playoffs.”

With last season’s defeat in the AUS men’s hockey final, Peddle said that it left somewhat of a sour taste in some of his player’s mouths.

“Last year is last year and certainly we’ve got a lot of guys on our team that were here last year,” said Peddle. “Losing in the finals left a bitter taste in a lot of our guys’ mouths and served us some extra motivation this year. What you can expect from us is a good hard working group that buys into good

two-way hockey.”

(4) Acadia vs. (5) UPEI Another tough first round matchup will definitely be the case when these two teams meet.

This series speaks to the parity of this league and how tough it is to win the AUS, both the Panthers and the Axemen are not teams to take lightly.

Although the Axemen won the season series 3-1, the Panthers made a statement in the final regular season game for both teams dropping Acadia 5-1 in their own rink.

If that doesn’t say “bring it on,” I don’t know what does.

That being said, Acadia is 9-4-1 at home and UPEI is only 3-8-3 on the road. Home ice advantage may be enough.

UPEI’s head coach Forbes MacPherson discussed his team’s play as they have struggled in the second half after a good first half of the season.

“We aren’t peaking right now, but we have this week to prepare for Acadia and we’ll be excited to get things going on Friday,” said MacPherson. “Even though our second half wasn’t as good as the first, we did win two of our last three games so we do have a good feeling going into the first round.”

Acadia has definitely caused trouble for UPEI, defeating them 5-2, 3-2 and 4-2, this season, but MacPherson knows that is in part to the tough competition in the conference.

“We have had our challenges against Acadia this year, but having said that this is a very tough conference and you have to be ready to go every night. We’ve won some and lost some along the way, but at the end of the day we’re in the playoffs.” *Acadia head coach Darren Burns could not be reached for a comment.

men’s hockey quarterfinal schedule

Although athletes seem to have no problem getting attention around the Olympics, the medalists stuggle to get attention when they are not competeing under the Olympic spotlight. Fans could care less if they are winning international competitions in between Olympics. Ragnar Singsaas/flickr cc

Game 1: Feb. 17 7 p.m. - Dal @ StFX

Game 1: Feb. 18 7 p.m. - UPEI @ Acadia

Game 2: Feb. 19 2 p.m. - StFX @ Dal

Game 2: Feb. 19 7:30 p.m. - Acadia @ UPEI

Game 3: Feb. 21 7 p.m. - Dal @ StFX

Game 3: Feb. 22 7 p.m. - UPEI @ Acadia

20 • Feb. 16, 2011 • Issue 20 • Volume 144

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